Time Does Funny Things
by Hanna Kritz
Summary: Maya is in her last year of college and has been given the internship of a lifetime. Suddenly, Joshua Matthews is back in her life. Now that they're older, will anything be different? Eventual Joshaya.
1. The Show

Peculiar concept to grasp that my future is contained within this single envelope, something so simple, white, and small.

Front. Flip. Back. Flip. Turning it over and over in my hands, I tried to muster up the courage to open it, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so.

No time to either, since the elevator doors were opening.

Quickly folding the letter and stuffing it back in my pocket, I looked down and smoothed down my shirt for the fifteenth time. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the elevator.

_Oh._

I should recognize this room. I was here less than three hours ago and numerous times before that, but tonight it took my breath away.

The university pulled out all the stops for the top senior art students. I had attended a few showcases in the past, but the event planners seemed to have truly outdone themselves in transforming the place for this one in particular. Everything looked spectacular.

I maneuvered my way through the crowd that was already growing and turned the first corner.

It was still there.

My painting. On the wall. Right in front of me. I checked the signature in the lower right hand corner. Yep. It's mine.

I took my place beside it as people began to approach.

No matter how many shows I did, I was always waiting for someone to take my work down, exclaim how horrific of an artist I was, and promptly kick me to the curb.

For some strange reason that had yet to happen.

I was truly surprised it hasn't happened tonight considering how many people were here. I've never seen a crowd quite this big before.

One woman I thought for sure was going to shove her plate of food against the thing. She had her nose about three inches away from it with a scowl on her face. Next thing I knew, she had turned towards me with tears in her eyes, hugging me, and muttering something about "true beauty" and "real essence". Apparently that scowl was just her face.

But it didn't matter how much praise I had received, I still couldn't grasp the fact that I was here. I mean, eighty senior applicants, four winners awarded a group showcase, and I was one of them?

The whole thing screamed technical error.

I was so lost in my own little world that I didn't hear my favorite person approach.

"Maya, it's breathtaking!"

A huge grin lit up my face. It was about time my best friend got here! I turned and jumped on Riley so quick that her and me suddenly found ourselves sprawled on the ground.

Laughing hysterically with Riley, I vaguely heard Mr. Matthews whisper harshly "Girls! Get up!", As he looked around at the growing circle of spectators we were acquiring. He looked mortified, as if we had never embarrassed him in public 10,000 times before this moment.

I waved to the crowd and gave a small bow once Riley and I decided to be vertical again. When they quickly dispersed, I felt slightly powerful.

Riley looked so beautiful in her purple dress, a gift from a cool blonde girl I know. Personally, I was beyond grateful I chose to wear pants that night. No way that move would have gone well in a dress. Memories of prom came flooding back but I quickly pushed those back down where they belonged.

"Thank you so much for coming!" I hugged Mr. And Mrs. Matthews long and hard. I cherished these opportunities. When college began, I didn't get to see them every day like it was before.

"Maya, it truly is stunning." Mrs. Matthews said as she stepped closer with her husband in tow. They both wore such proud looks on their faces.

"I feel so honored." Riley said looking up at the thing like it had made all of her dreams and wishes come true. In her defense, the painting was of her, but I couldn't help but giggle at her expression.

My art piece on exhibit tonight was the side of Riley's face, but with her hair replaced with leaves of multiple fall colors. I purposely made the leaves look like they were blowing away in the wind. I titled it "Leafy Lady."

Just kidding, but at that moment I couldn't remember what the thing was called because a figure of someone I had not seen in years was approaching.

A figure with piercing blue eyes.

Mr. Matthews, err... Cory, still weird to call them by their first names now, had seem him first apparently since he was almost to him.

_What was Joshua Matthews doing here?_

"My brother!"

"My brother!" Josh returned as they did that whole pull each other in with one arm and beat each other's back thing that guys do. I don't get it.

"I'm so happy you decided to accept our invitation." Topanga exclaimed. "Broke my heart when Cory told me you couldn't make it to the restaurant earlier, especially since we were celebrating your promotion." She swatted his shoulder.

"Sorry. New job, new responsibilities. Couldn't get away." he reached out to give her a hug. "What are weekends again?" He winked and smiled as he released her.

Riley chose that moment to jump into his arms and he reciprocated by swinging her around. I smiled. The two had the most adorable relationship. More big brother/little sister than anything else.

Before I had a chance to say hello myself, one of my art professors came by to congratulate me and tell me once again how beautiful the piece was and to generally just blab on and on and on. She loved to hear herself talk. I could never understand half of what she said in class.

I looked over toward Riley and her parents to see if there was any chance for escape and was surprised to see Josh looking at me. He smiled and gave me a quick nod of acknowledgement. I smiled in return and turned back toward Dr. Elliott.

Now, I definitely couldn't understand what she was saying and dang it, I was blushing. I had such a crush on him when I was younger. I had moved on, believe me, but even I couldn't deny the man only became better looking with age.

Some time after one in the morning or maybe just five minutes later, Dr. Elliott finally told me well done and goodnight. Good riddance too. The woman was exhausting. When I turned back toward Riley and her parents, however, Joshua was missing in action.

"Where did.." but Riley cut me off. "Come on! I need you to meet Daniel." she interjected. Suddenly intrigued, I forgot all about Joshua Matthews. Daniel was Riley's new love interest. They had been on a few dates and I had heard her talk about him on a few occasions, but had yet to be granted an opportunity to meet him. Until right now, that is.

We stepped towards a gorgeous tall man with auburn hair and a perfectly sculpted face checking something on his phone. He immediately put said phone away when he noticed us approaching.

"Hi Maya. I'm Daniel." he said sticking his hand out toward me to shake. "It's nice to finally meet you." He smiled at me, his perfect white teeth on display, and I think my knees shook a little.

_Jesus, Riley, where did you meet him?!_

Riley, with her sweetness and pretty face, always caught the good ones. Although part of me is still convinced she only wishes for a certain one in particular. Me on the other hand... Let's not talk about it.

Riley looped her arm through Daniel's as we continued to small talk and I had to admit. They looked really good together. Whether or not I fully approved had yet to be decided.

Cory and Topanga came over to join us. I noted Mr. Matthews' slightly troubled expression when interacting with Daniel. I couldn't quite tell if it was just being an over-protective father or something else. Something he knew that the rest of us did not.

We weren't able to talk long since I was needed to explain my painting to people approaching, but before she left, Riley and I made plans to have lunch soon. After another quick set of hugs from her and her parents, they were gone.

* * *

The rest of the night passed in a blur and I don't remember most of it. I was so tired all I could think about was curling up in bed with my cat.

I don't have a cat.

As everything was closing down, I made my way up to the railing, overlooking the exhibit hall. People watching is my favorite hobby. The letter had made its way out of my pocket and I was turning it in my hands again.

"Maya?" I jumped about ten feet in the air.

I turned to see an amused Joshua Matthews leaning against the wall behind me.

"Sorry" he muttered before walking over to lean against the railing next to me.

"Um. Hi. "_ Smooth Hart_.

"It's been awhile." he said, his eyes fixed on the room below.

"Sure has." This conversation seemed familiar.

A thought occurred to me. "What are you still doing here? Why didn't you leave with Cory or Riley?"

"I wanted to talk to you." He turned toward me.

"You wanted to talk me?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Absolutely. I wanted to tell you the painting you did of Riley was incredible."

"Oh. Well thanks." I said, still a little skeptical that he had been waiting around just for me.

"Plus, I didn't get to say hello to you earlier."

_Ok._

"Also..."_ Here we go. _"I noticed you haven't opened the letter from the MOMA yet."

I looked down at the white rectangle in my hands. Then narrowed my eyes at him in confusion. "Wait a minute! How did you know about..."

"Just open it." He interjected still smirking.

I kept the same narrow eyed look on my face as I stared at him, my fingers starting to tear through the envelope. He was still smirking and I was tempted to slap him. Just to see the shocked and surprised look it would cause. I pulled out the letter instead.

**Dear Miss Hart,**

**The Museum of Modern Art is pleased to offer you an internship...**

I started jumping up and down as I skimmed the rest of it. "Ohmygod. Ohmygod. Oh my GOD!" Josh started laughing at me.

"Wait. How did you know?" I stopped jumping.

"I work there. I saw a list of the new interns earlier this week and they mentioned you hadn't replied yet. When I told them I knew you, they asked me to reach out. Made it easier when Topanga invited me here."

I furrowed my brows again "You work there? But you're an architect. How..."

He pulled out a card and handed it to me before I could continue. I keep being interrupted tonight.

**Joshua Matthews  
Curatorial Assistant  
Department of Architecture and Design  
Museum of Modern Art**

I think my eyebrows were in danger of disappearing into my hairline. Can you say job of a lifetime? Wow.

"Wow. That is... really impressive." He smiled as I handed the card back. "Seriously Josh, this is amazing! Congratulations!"

"Thanks" he said. "Congratulations to you too." motioning towards the letter.

I looked down at it with a small smile I couldn't seem to erase. "Thank you. I can't believe it."

"Well believe it. You earned it." I looked up at him and saw only sincerity reflected in his eyes. "So can I tell them you accept?"

I nodded so vigorously I think I got vertigo. "Yes! Thank you."

"You're welcome." he stared at me for a second. "Well hey, I gotta head out but I guess I'll be seeing you soon."

"Yeah I guess so."

He smiled at me one more time before turning and making his way towards the stairs on our right. I looked down at the letter still in my hands and hugged it to my chest.

"Oh and Maya!" I immediately lowered my arms and blushed at being caught hugging a letter. Josh smirked knowingly but said nothing.

Instead his eyes traveled all the way down my body before making their way back up.

"You look good."

With that he turned and sauntered down the stairs. I released a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Shaking myself out of it, I hugged the letter again.

Finally. Finally my future was here. Finally I had a chance at fulfilling my dreams.

_And nothing is going to get in my way._

I looked up just in time to see Josh walk out the main doors.

_Absolutely nothing._


	2. Flamingo

Running my spoon greedily along the bottom of the container, I scooped out the remaining bite of the delicious substance. If I have one weakness, it is ice cream and tacos. Ok fine, that's two, but I'm an artist. I can be numerically challenged. Also, pizza.

I sat back against the wooden bench. Riley was late and I was still starving. I tossed the pint into the trash bin and amazingly it went in. I surprised even myself.

I stretched my legs out on the park bench and simply admired Washington Square Park. It was a beautiful day. Riley and I meet here whenever we can, which sadly, was not often enough.

Riley went to NYU while I was finishing up my degree at Parson's. We were only seven blocks apart, but between papers, senior projects, and just being busy in general, our lunches in the park were becoming few and far between.

"Sorry I'm late!" Riley came running up with our food and drinks perfectly balanced in her arms. People used to think I would grow up to be the graceful one. Oh how wrong they were.

"My professor wanted to talk to me after class." She said handing me my rice noodles while I moved my legs to give her room.

"Everything ok?" I asked.

"Oh yeah. Definitely." she waved me off and sat down. "Just wanted an update on my research paper."

She stopped digging through the food sack to give me a look. "You ate ice cream before I got here, didn't you?" Can't hide anything from her. "Yep!" I declared proudly.

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Two days." she laughed. "A new record." I had attempted to give up junk food. Worst two days of my life. Glad it's over. Ice cream is never worth sacrificing. She leaned forward to wipe some off of my cheek. I decided to change the subject.

"I got it." I whispered.

"Got what?" she asked, then widened her eyes as she realized. "The MOMA internship?" I nodded.

You should have seen the pigeons fly as she screamed in delight. If there wasn't a mountain of food in between us, I believe she would have tackled me too. She got up and came around to hug me anyway.

"Maya, that's incredible!" she exclaimed.

"Thank you!" I squeezed her tight. She smelled like violets.

"Josh works there now. You'll probably see him every once in a while." She said matter-of-factly as she went to move back to her side of the bench.

"He told me that at the show last night." That stopped her in her tracks. She spun around "He did?"

"He came up to congratulate me on the painting and to make sure I knew that I was accepted into the program. It was really nice of him." I left out the part about his final comment.

"Wait. He came up to you?" she asked finally able to sit down.

I gave her the look.

"No Riley. It wasn't like that." There were noodles hanging out of my mouth as I spoke. I could not have cared less.

She didn't look entirely convinced but decided to drop it anyway. Good. That time of my life was embarrassing. I shuddered thinking about how I used to be around him. Riley had been uneasy about my crush on Josh at first, but as time went on, she became a huge advocate for it. I think I broke her heart when I informed her that I was over him.

"You know what this means." Riley piped up. "We need to go shopping!"

"Ugh. No." I groaned.

"Oh come on!" she whined. "You have like what four outfits?" That's a pretty accurate estimate actually. I avoid shopping at all costs. "You need professional clothing. You have a big girl job now."

I frowned picturing myself in a business suit. "It doesn't have to be a suit." she added like we could still read each other's mind. Oh wait! We could. "There are plenty of other choices. Some even you might like. "

I hesitated, but upon seeing the excitement in her face, I relented. "Fine."

She squealed then shoved our empty Chinese food cartons in the trash before grabbing my arm and dragging me toward a cab. It all happened in less than a second.

What had I gotten myself into.

* * *

I looked like a flamingo.

"Riley! You can not be serious!"

I looked to see her hunched over laughing. I looked back at the mirror and frowned. It was a look strikingly similar to Grumpy Cat.

"Ok. Ok. I'm sorry." she said coming over to help me. With a bit of contortionism, we were able to pull the offensive feathered dress off of me. I stomped on it with my bare feet for good measure.

"It looked so good on the hanger!" she piped up.

_Uh. No it didn't._ But I said nothing.

"Here. Try this." I took it. I was done fighting her. It would not have helped my case anyhow.

The pencil skirt she handed to me was a pretty pale blue color. Next, she handed me a sweater to go with it. I slipped them both on and faced the dreaded mirror once more. Trying on clothes is the worst.

However, the girl in the mirror looked kind of pretty. I think. I couldn't really see her.

"Relax your face."

I stopped squinting my eyes and squishing my face at Riley's command. Oh yeah. This is much better.

"See, it's not so bad." said Riley. I smiled and turned from side to side. I actually liked it.

I also looked like an adult. It was completely terrifying.

"Ok. I like it."

"Really?!" Such disbelief in her voice.

"Yes. Really."

"Yea!" she clapped her hands and then ran out of the dressing room. Probably to get me more.

I sank into the dressing room chair with a groan.

* * *

In the end, I acquired three new skirts, two sweaters, four shirts, two pairs of dress pants, and a new pair of shoes.

Never. Shopping. Again.

"Do you forgive me now?" asked Riley.

I stabbed the last of the macaroni we were sharing in the most dramatic function I could muster. Then I smiled at her.

"Of course." She bought me macaroni. You can't stay mad at someone who buys you macaroni.

"Good" she replied. We slipped into a comfortable silence after that.

These were my favorite moments. Just sitting in a little cafe with my best friend. Too bad they never last.

"How long do you have?" I asked.

"Not long" she answered, frowning. "I need to get a few more pages in on my paper."

I nodded. Stupid homework. It always gets in the way. I wasn't one to talk though. I had plenty of photos to process and a sculpture to finish.

Riley smiled at me sadly, reading my thoughts again. She placed enough money on the table to cover us, and we were off.

Riley walked me home. She stopped to hug me when we reached the front doors to my building.

"Good luck tomorrow, Maya."

_Oh. Right. The internship._

Butterflies erupted in my stomach all over again. It's interesting how you can be so excited and so absolutely terrified about something at the exact same time.

She grabbed both of my shoulders and made me look her in the eye. "You're going to be magnificent."

I nodded, still not quite believing in myself, but wanting to. I didn't quite trust myself to speak. She released me with a smile. Next thing I know, she had slipped on her jacket and was walking down the street. I watched her retreating figure for a second and then went to unlock the door.

Apparently Riley wasn't finished yet though. "Everything is going to change for you, Maya Hart, in beautiful, extraordinary ways. This is your time. I just know it."

I moved to wave at her, but she already had her back to me again and was going around the corner.

I sighed. Everything was going to be fine. Just fine. Yet for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that this internship would be the biggest test of my life. It was such a peculiar feeling.

Suddenly, I remembered. Photo processing. That's what I needed to be working on. Photo processing.

I hurried inside and shut the door. All thoughts of tomorrow left my head for now.

**A/N Hello! Such a lovely response for the first chapter. Thank you to all who have followed/favorited/reviewed and everyone just simply reading this story. **

**I've decided that I want to know all of you. So leave a review or send me a message just to say hi. Have questions? Requests? Feedback? Hate my writing? I want to know!**

**The story is going to start picking up next chapter. Hope to get it to you soon. Sorry this one was shorter. - Hanna**


	3. Day One

**Disclaimer: I do not own GMW or the MOMA. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Especially MOMA employees. ;)**

**Without further ado.**

* * *

I could kill someone right now. Seriously, someone was going to die.

What. Is. That buzzing sound?

"Mom! Turn it off!" I whined. Throwing a pillow over my head, I attempted to block out the sound until it stopped.

Wait a second... I don't live with my mom anymore.

Reminded and annoyed that I was an adult (kind of) and now had to do everything myself, I groaned as I peeked my head out of the covers and grabbed my phone.

_My alarm. That makes sense. _

Turning the blasted contraption off, I placed it back down, shut my eyes, and snuggled deeper into my comforter. Two seconds later though, my eyes popped wide open.

My alarm. It's today. I start today._ Jesus Christ, how long had it been going off?!_

I jumped out of bed. A little too quickly. I had to put a hand against the wall to stop the spinning.

That was stupid.

Once the room decided to stabilize, I glanced at my phone again. 6:45 am. I was not late. I breathed a sigh of relief before heading to the shower.

Nothing quite like your early morning freak out to get your day started.

* * *

I bit my lip and tried hard not to bounce my knee against the perfectly polished floor of my new manager's office. The pop tart I had grabbed while running out the door an hour ago was churning in my stomach.

Doing well with this internship meant endless possibilities. It meant connections. It meant world travels. It meant people could someday know my name. So I couldn't help but be nervous.

Suddenly, a tall lean woman breezed through the doorway and slammed the door shut behind her. I jumped.

She sat down in front of me with an air of superiority and started shuffling papers on top of the desk.

"Portfolio" she said reaching her hand out towards me but not glancing up. I handed it over quickly.

She roamed through the pages with a critical eye and an intense frown, almost as if she would rip out any of my work she found to be unworthy of her time. Who knows, maybe she would.

My cell phone rang suddenly and I panicked as I scrambled to find it and turn it off. So embarrassing.

"So you do know how to operate a phone then?" she asked, eyes still glued to the pages in front of her.

I lifted my eyebrows in confusion. "Um. Excuse me?" I asked, placing my cell back in my purse.

She set the portfolio down. "Miss Hart, do you honestly believe we primarily inform our interns of their acceptance via the U.S. Postal Service?"

I shifted in my seat. "Uh. No?"

"So why is it that after numerous calls, you did not return a single one."

I clamped my eyes shut. I felt like such an idiot. All of those calls from the same unknown number and the voice messages I never bother to check, ever. They were all to give me this chance.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Tate, I don't usually answer calls from numbers I don't recognize."

"Really now" she continued "You have the opportunity to interview for the most prestigious art museum in the country and you never bother to check your voicemail after?"

I didn't know what to say. I already felt stupid and I didn't know how to rectify this situation.

"Do you even want this job, Miss Hart?" she asked icily.

I cringed a bit at her tone. "Yes ma'am." I tried but failed to keep my voice from shaking. "I want this very much."

She stared at me for a long moment before picking my portfolio back up to critique it with her eyes once more. "If it was up to me, you would not be here. We have no room for insufficient people." she said in a small voice.

Too shocked to reply, I simply stared with my mouth slightly open.

"Perhaps you will prove me wrong, Miss Hart." She said. "Doubtful considering, well..." She gestured her hands toward me.

_I look wrong? I act wrong_? Part of me wanted her to tell me. The other part was too mortified. I settled for playing with the hairs at the end of my braid out of discomfort.

"You may go." she finally said after an eternity, nodding towards the door.

I did not have to be told twice. Scrambling out of my chair, I briskly walked out of her office.

* * *

Once the door clicked shut, I leaned against it and closed my eyes. This was not how I wanted things to start here.

Why didn't I answer the phone? Maybe if I hadn't automatically assumed the letter was a rejection notice and opened it sooner, I would have had a chance to impress this woman. That chance was long gone now. You only have one opportunity to make a first impression and I completely blew it.

"Hey, you're not crying." My mental rambling ceased when I opened my eyes to see a guy around my age with sandy blonde hair sitting on the bench in front of me.

"What?" I asked.

"You're. Not. Crying." he repeated slowly, rising from the bench to walk towards me.

I was so confused. "Why would I be crying?" I asked taking a few steps forward.

He smiled. "Because that is what first day employees usually do after leaving her office." he said motioning towards Dr. Tate's door. " That or run away fuming, never to be seen again."

I glanced at the door behind me and then back at him. He moved the rest of the way forward and stuck out his hand. "Aaron Abernathy"

I took it. "Maya Hart. It's nice to meet you."

He smiled "Likewise, Maya." he then turned around and promptly began walking away. "Follow me." he said.

"Um. Should I?" I asked, looking around confused. I really didn't know where I was supposed to go from here.

He stopped in his tracks and turned back around. He put a hand to his forehead and sighed. "She didn't explain anything to you, did she?"

I shook my head "No. She pretty much just sat there and judged me."

He laughed. "Well that is her way. Not sure why I expected differently."

He sighed again, then shook his head before raising his gaze back to me. "Anyways, please follow me, Maya, I will be showing you the ropes today." he said heading down the hall again.

This time I followed.

* * *

It was both weird and amazing to be inside the museum before it was officially open. I expected it to be calm and serene, but it was actually chaotic.

Employees were scrambling by each other trying to be ready in time for the doors to be open to the public.

I saw Josh running down some stairs following a gorgeous brunette while Aaron and I were climbing up them. He smiled and winked at me before following the same brunette into a side room. I noticed Aaron's cheeks turn red upon seeing the girl.

We finally arrived at a small room aligned with cubicles. Some were filled with people already working, others just had piles of papers on the desks inside. Aaron led me to an empty one near the back.

"This one is yours." Aaron said

I just stared at it.

"Not that I don't trust your sense of direction, but am I in the right place?" I asked looking down at the desk again adorned with just a couple of pens and a computer. "I thought I would be in a studio." That was what the interviewers had told me.

Aaron gave me a pitying look. "Dr. Tate doesn't let her interns in the studio until she deems them worthy."

"Oh." I said disappointed and yet, not surprised. "Um. Ok. What does she want me to do until then?" I decided to shake it off. For now.

He smiled at my acceptance. "I'll show you."

* * *

Aaron spent the next several hours showing me how to pull reports on cost estimates for future exhibitions. It was all painfully boring, but Aaron was a nice guy. He was patient with me for my lack of computer skills and even sat with me at lunch since I didn't know anyone. Except for Josh, of course, but I hadn't seen him since that morning.

The rest of my time passed in a blur of shaking hands, orientation, and company policies. At the end of the day, Aaron invited me to a nearby bar that many co-workers went to after work. He said it would be a great way to meet people. I felt like I had been shaking hands all day, but I looked forward to hanging out. I wanted work friends. Plus, after today, I really needed a drink.

Walking in, I immediately found Aaron.

"Oh good you're here!" he said when he saw me. "I want you to meet someone."

He led me straight to the brunette I had seen on the stairs with Josh. "Maya, meet Elizabeth." Elizabeth turned toward me fully. Wow. I had thought her gorgeous before, but obviously the word gorgeous did her no justice. "I'll let you two get to know each other. I need to go find someone." Aaron said, and with that, he disappeared into the crowd.

"Hi!" said Elizabeth. "How was your first day?" she asked, setting her beer down on the bar behind us.

"Uh. Well..." I said. _Honesty or no?_

She laughed. "Sounds a lot like how mine was. Let's get you a drink." she said already waving down the bartender.

I like this girl already.

"Oh surely your first day wasn't that bad." Said a voice behind us directed at her. "I specifically remember you telling me you had the best day of your life."

I recognized that voice. I turned around after giving my order to see Josh walking toward us.

"You were my boss." Elizabeth said punching him in the arm when he reached us. He feigned hurt. "I had to say that."

"That was the one and only time you ever didn't speak sass to me." he sighed dramatically. "I miss those days."

She punched him again. "I don't work for you anymore."

"Thank goodness" he said before resting his eyes on me. "You survive today, Maya?"

"I did indeed, Josh."

I thought about the day. In most ways it had been disastrous with Ms. Tate's speech to me and finding out I had desk duty, but I couldn't seem to be upset about it. Aaron had a big part in that.

Speaking of Aaron. "You two know each other?" he asked, suddenly reappearing.

I panicked as I took my drink from the bartender.

_Oh no. Oh god. How do I explain that I was obsessed with him as a fourteen year old girl without coming across as a stalker. _

Josh beat me to the punch though. "She's my niece's best friend."

_Oh... Well yeah I guess that can explain it too_.

"That's awesome!" said Aaron, handing an empty bottle and some cash to the bartender. He yawned. "Well it's getting late. I better get going." It was only 8 pm and he had only been here about five minutes. Apparently he was more the sit at home with a book and read type of guy.

He turned towards Elizabeth. "Can I walk you home?" he asked, face red as a tomato.

"Sure!" she answered. Josh smiled knowingly at the exchange, tilting his drink back to try and get the ice at the bottom.

"Bye guys! Nice meeting you, Maya." said Elizabeth, Chugging the rest of her beer in one gulp, before giving Josh a high five and hugging me farewell.

Ok. Apparently Aaron was more the 'get the girl alone type of guy.

As soon as they left, Josh grabbed the empty barstool next to mine and leaned back next to me. "So today went ok, Maya?"

_No._ I thought._ Not at all_.

"It was fine" I answered instead. He gave me a look as if he knew I wasn't being completely honest. I waved it off though. "I just need to adjust, that's all."

He nodded and seemed to accept that answer. "Well I know how that goes. If you ever need any help with anything, just let me know.

"Thank you" I answered, truly grateful.

"Definitely. Training at a new job is tough, especially for lowly interns." he added with a wink.

I frowned. It seemed like more than just that, thinking back to my time in Dr. Tate's office. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I was probably just overreacting.

I smiled and turned towards Josh "Yeah, but tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow is another chance."

He returned my smile, then leaned over to clink his glass with mine. "Well cheers to that." he said before setting his drink down and leaning over.

Suddenly, I felt cool fingertips graze behind my ear. I shivered and jumped slightly.

"Sorry, you had something in your hair." he said holding a piece of lint in his hand. He threw it to the floor.

"Oh thanks" I said.

"No problem" he replied.

We both leaned back against the bar again after that and a contented silence fell over us.

_Tomorrow will be different. Tomorrow will be great._


	4. Lectures

I turned in a circle, soaking in the beautiful space, then I let my gaze land back on Aaron.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive" he answered.

"Anytime?"

"Anytime."

I beamed. Aaron had brought me to a community studio room in the basement and had given me permission to use some of his canvases and paint as long as I agreed to restock from time to time.

I looked around again. It was just so epic. A guitarist in the corner, playing with his headphones in. A couple of writers sitting around a table with their laptops. Another girl across the room drawing the streetlight seen out the window. So many artists working in one place. It made sense that they would all need a place to express themselves when they weren't currently working.

I was so in love with the place.

"Thank you" I said

"You're welcome" he answered before glancing at his watch. "And I better get going?

"What? Why?" I spun around toward him.

"Dr. Tate wants me to fill in for her at a meeting over at the Metropolitan."

"Oh" _That actually sounds terrible._ "Well have fun I guess." I haven't been in many, but meetings are the worst.

"Ha! I'll be having about as much fun as you. You remember how to run those reports I showed you yesterday?" he asked. I nodded glumly.

"Just keep doing that today and hey, remember that it's not forever." He added, touching my arm in reassurance before walking out.

I smiled sadly but nodded to myself_. _

_Not forever._

* * *

After lunch, I arrived back at my desk to find my portfolio sitting on it with a note on top that simply said 'Horrific'. I sunk into my chair, defeated.

_Seriously, what is her problem?_

"Hey!" exclaimed Elizabeth, head suddenly popping up at the top of my cubicle wall.

"Hey." I returned, eyes wide as saucers and hands gripping the sides of my chair. _Where had she come from_?! Quickly, I shoved both the portfolio and the note into my top drawer. If she found this action peculiar, she gave no notice of it.

"Come with me!" Then she was gone. I stared at the space her head had just occupied for a few seconds. Then my brain finally caught up and I sprang out of my chair to catch up with her. I noted some of my fellow cubicle workers seemed to be heading in her direction as well.

"Where are we going?" I asked after following her through numerous turns and our third flight of stairs.

"There's a lecture going on" was all she said.

I just shrugged and continued following. Five years later, we arrived to a darkened room where a small crowd had gathered. First, I noticed the journalists lining the walls, cameras ready. Next, I noticed the woman standing up front on a small stage. She seemed familiar, but I couldn't see her face very well.

We found Josh standing in the very back of the room. He grinned and moved over so we could lean against the wall with him.

"Who is that?" I whispered towards Josh.

He looked at me incredulously. "I would think that you would have heard of Ingrid Nichols before me."

I whipped my head back toward the stage so fast I'm surprised my neck didn't snap. I gasped. It was her. Never in my life did I believe she would ever be in the same room as me. She was my idol.

"Holy! That's Ingrid Nichols!"

"You don't say, Maya" I backhandedly smacked Josh for that comment.

"What is she doing here?!"

"She's giving a lecture, Maya." I hit him again.

Elizabeth laughed and answered me. "She's here to give a lecture on femininity in modern art." Ingrid stepped up to the microphone at that point and began. I remember nothing. I was too busy standing there wide-eyed with my mouth agape.

Josh started laughing at my expression at some point and I moved to hit him again, but this time he caught my wrist, his fingers warm against my pulse point. I turned towards him and found myself staring into blue eyes. I could feel his breath on my cheek. When did he get this close? Almost imperceptibly he moved even closer before muttering "Not this time."

He released me. I turned back and waited ten seconds, pretending to be engrossed in Ingrid's words, before my hand finally met its mark. "Ow!" Ha!

At the end, Josh had to leave immediately to run some sort of errand, and as Ingrid was finishing taking photos for the press, Elizabeth grabbed my hand. I suddenly found us making our way towards Ingrid. "Elizabeth!" Ingrid exclaimed upon spotting her. They embraced. _Elizabeth personally knows Ingrid Nichols. Holy cow._ Once they separated, Ingrid seemed to finally notice me, the strange blonde girl next to Elizabeth gaping at her like a fish.

"Hello, I-I'm Maya" I said sticking out my hand and introducing myself. Shaking my hand, she smiled sweetly in return. I would love to say that my voice didn't shake at all, but I would be lying. I would also love to say that I didn't act anymore awkward than I already had, but I would be lying again. However, Ingrid was wonderful and didn't seem annoyed. I had a feeling she encountered people like me often. Who am I kidding? There's no one like me! We continued to small talk for a few minutes, and by we, I mean her and Elizabeth, with me gawking when suddenly she turned towards me.

"So Maya, will I be seeing you at The Armory Party?"

Armory Party? "Um" I looked toward Elizabeth for help. She started nodding. " Yes, I believe you will." I answered before sending Elizabeth a look I hope said 'Please explain later!'

"Well then, I shall see both of you ladies there." and with that Ingrid Nichols was striding out of the room with her entourage right at her tail. Ingrid Nichols has no time for games.

I turned towards Elizabeth to ask about the party, but before I could I heard a "Miss Hart." I cringed and slowly turned around.

"Hello Dr. Tate." I heard Elizabeth exclaim behind me

"Hello dear." She smiled sweetly at her, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I'll leave you two alone." _No don't go, Elizabeth!_ But it was too late.

Once Elizabeth was out of range, Dr. Tate's smile fell. "Come with me, Miss Hart." I followed solemnly.

* * *

Dr. Tate ended up leading me back to her dreaded office and sat me down.

"Miss Hart, did I give you permission to go to that lecture?"

I looked down before shaking my head. "No ma'am."

I had only known her for a day, but already Dr. Tate had a way of making me feel very stupid and insignificant. I still had no idea why she hated me. No one else that worked around me seemed to have needed to ask permission to go.

"Then why did you?" she asked.

"Elizabeth came and..." but before I could finish, she interjected with "So you are blaming your actions on Miss Marsden then!?"

"No!" I said immediately "Absolutely not, I thought it was fine and I was just explaining..." taking in her expression I decided not to complete that sentence.

I considered my next words very carefully.

"Dr. Tate, I apologize. I was not considering my actions. I should have come straight to you and asked permission. I'm very sorry."

"You do realize I should fire you right now?" I nodded.

"Too bad I don't have that authority alone." she said. _She doesn't?_

"I don't know what anyone on the committee saw in you or why they decided my division was the best spot for you. My division deserves the very best and brightest. Your work is disgraceful, your attitude worse, and you simply are not worthy of being here. "

I kept my head down. _Don't cry. Just don't cry._

_"_Look at me!_" _she nearly shouted.

I jumped, but impressively looked up and held her gaze.

"You will be out of here before you know it. You do not belong here."

The anguish and sadness I had felt suddenly turned to anger, fierce hot anger.

_Yes I do. I do and I will prove it to you._

"Get out of my office."

_Gladly_

* * *

I ran down the last flight of stairs, stomping over towards the door, and jerked it open, making it slam against the wall.

_Good. It's empty._

Entering the studio Aaron had shown me just this morning, I marched all the way to the pile of canvases and set one up then moved towards the paints. A metal chair was in my way so I gladly picked that sucker up and threw it across the room. It landed with a loud clang. I hadn't been this furious in a long time. Not five minutes earlier I had practically ripped my work clothes to pieces to change into my painting ones.

Grabbing a can of red and a can of blue paint, I set them down in front of the canvas. Set is a nice word. I more flung them in that general direction. I opened both cans and set to work. Picking up a giant glob of red paint on one brush, I hurled the paint owards the canvas, yelling out as I did so. I did the same thing with the blue. Over and over, I kept chucking paint at the canvas like it was my enemy, and right now, I was pretending it was. I continued screaming at it all the while.

When I ran out of paint, I slipped down to my knees, exhausted and numb. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with my forearm

"Woah."

Turning, I discovered Josh standing there in the doorway with a pizza box in his hands, a bag slung over his shoulder, and a face of someone clearly terrified.

"Hi." I said, breathing heavily. _How long had he been there?_

"Uh" he glanced around the room, taking in the overturned chair and the splattered paint on the canvas. "Want to talk about it?" he finally offered.

I couldn't help but smile at that. "No" I answered, "Not really."

He regarded me a second longer, but didn't press the issue. Instead, glancing down at the pizza box he said "I actually had planned to eat this whole thing myself, but I know I really shouldn't." He lifted his gaze to meet mine. "So do you want to help me out?"

I looked from him to the box, and then back to him. "Duh." A college student never turns down free food. Ever.

He laughed and moved toward a small table on the other side of the room while I went to wash my hands at the sink in the corner. Making my way over to the table, I sat across from him. He made a move to tell or ask me something, but then appeared to think better of it and grabbed a slice of pizza instead. Smart boy.

His pizza was topped with spinach and dried tomatoes and all things healthy. I take back the smart comment, but free food was free food.

"So what are you doing down here?" I finally asked.

"Just need to finish typing up an article." he said motioning towards his bag with a laptop peeking out. Part of Joshua 's job was to help create publications concerning art and architecture.

"What's it about?"

"Architecture of hotels through the ages in Northern Europe. Exciting right?" he asked.

I shrugged. "It could be. I'm sure you'll find a way."

"That is the goal." he said. "Wish me luck." He added pulling out his laptop.

I picked off all the mushrooms on my pizza slice. I heard Josh snort. "You used to do that as a kid."

I looked down at my plate and considered that. "Yeah, I guess I did."

I had almost forgotten he's known me most of my life. Well kind of. Interesting concept that you could know someone for that long and yet not really know them at all. We saw each other at birthdays, holidays, and other various Matthews' functions growing up, but that was about it. We never did have conversations lasting more than two minutes. We never hung out outside of those events. I realized then that I actually knew very little about Joshua Matthews and the thought made me a little sad. I looked down at my pizza slice again. It appears he was paying a little attention though.

"I guess some things never change, huh?" he mused.

"Some things" I agreed "But you never really know. I think sometimes people surprise you later on."

"Yeah" he said looking at me in a way I couldn't quite read. "They sure do." He cleared his throat and looked away awkwardly.

"So what are you going to call it?" he asked

_Uh. What?_ "Call what?"

He motioned his head towards my painting. "Oh!" I said. "Um. I don't know. Any great ideas?"

He shook his head slowly, back and forth. "There are no words to describe whatever that is." he said.

I had to laugh at that. It was true. It just looked like... well I have no idea. He was right. There were no words.

After that, I ate most of the pizza and he set to work on his article. It was peaceful. A feeling I seemed to be experiencing the most when around Josh. It was refreshing.

**A/N. To those of you that thought bullying only happens when you're young and in school, it doesn't. If someone is bullying you, do not stay silent. Ask for help. Stay tuned for what will happen with Maya.**

**Also, please REVIEW! Because I need to know whether you like this, or if this just sucks, or if I'm not doing something right or something isn't flowing quite right. Let me know! **

**For those of you wanting more Joshaya, it's coming. Promise. I wasn't lying when I said eventual though. It will be a slow progression. Key word there is progression.**

**Other characters will be showing up along the way too! So get excited and again, review!**


	5. Anytime

That awkward moment when you are wearing Nikes and you just can't do it.

_Keep breathing. That's the key. Breathe_.

"Maya, come on!" shouted Riley up ahead. Why did I ever agree to this? I will never enjoy running.

"Just a second, Riley!" but she was already on her way back to me. "You ok?" she asked.

I was crouched over with my head between my knees trying not to throw up. "Yeah. Great. Terrific." I said practically wheezing in between each word. I glanced up at her. "In fact, that hill in front of us..." I said nodding toward it while taking another wheezing breath "looks like such a blast."

Riley laughed at me. Girl wasn't even breathing hard. Other runners passed us, breezing up the hill with ease. People are just so rude.

"Come on." she said grabbing my hand, hoisting me up, and leading me over to a bench on the side. I practically fell on it. She handed me a water bottle after sitting down next to me and stared out at the trees on the opposite side of the running path. It was then that I noticed her troubled, far away look.

"Riles?" she jumped and looked at me with wide eyes. "What is it?" I asked, my breathing finally evening out.

Sighing, she collapsed against the bench, and stared at the trees straight ahead. She muttered three words I thought I would never hear in the same sentence again.

"I saw Lucas."

_Oh_.

And just like that, a hundred memories flashed through my mind. Seeing a cute blonde boy on a subway. Baking muffins in his mom's kitchen. A thousand nicknames. Him showing up at my door to help me with geometry. The first time I caught him and Riley holding hands. Pulling a beer out of my hands at a ninth grade party and taking me home. Hugging him at graduation. Riley's smile when he picked her up for their first date. Riley's endless tears after their last.

_So he was back._

I moved over to rest my head on Riley's shoulder, because there was nothing I could say to ease her pain. Or mine.

* * *

"Did he see you?" I asked later, sitting on her couch sipping hot chocolate in sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"No" she answered, swirling whipped cream on top of hers. She weaved her way through her cramped but homely apartment before sitting next to me, and setting her drink down on the coffee table in front of us. "He came out of a bookstore across the street from where Dan and I were eating brunch and was around the next corner before I could blink."

"Are you sure it was him then?" I asked.

"Positive."she answered, looking up and straight into my eyes.

I pressed my lips together and nodded. "What did Daniel say?"

She hesitated for a moment. "When he asked what was wrong, I told him I wasn't feeling well and needed to go home." Leaning forward, she placed her head in her hands. "God, I'm such a coward."

I began rubbing her back soothingly. "No, you're not."

"I feel like one." she said looking over at me, tears beginning to spill over. I reached my left hand over to wipe them away. First the left cheek. Then the right.

"He's the one that left, Riles, not you."

She didn't reply, so I simply pulled her into my arms, easing her to lay down with her head on my lap. Threading my fingers through her long, dark strands, I thought about the past, about the time in our lives when everything was so much simpler.

* * *

Riley eventually fell asleep. I spent the rest of that Saturday with her and Sunday too. Riley barely moved from her spot on the couch the entire time. Suddenly it was Monday and I needed to get to the museum.

"Riley, I need to go." She had been staring at the wall all morning and even now, as I crouched down in front of her, she made no move to look away. "I'll be back after work, ok?" Still no movement from her.

"Riley?"

"K" she finally replied, voice barely above a whisper. I kissed her forehead and grabbed my keys, tears stinging at my eyes as I closed the door behind me.

I was grateful Dr. Tate was away on business because I could barely function that day at the museum. I kept thinking about Riley and how I suddenly felt completely helpless. I've seen Riley throw objects across a room, I've seen her cry way beyond what any normal person can produce in tears, but never have I seen her go completely numb. It was absolutely frightening. Strolling down the hallway in a daze, I didn't even notice when I bumped into someone.

"Woah, Maya! Watch the road, yeah?" said Josh, laughing. His smile immediately fell when he seemed to notice my far off look. "What is it? Are you ok?"

He grabbed onto both of my shoulders as if to hold me down to the earth and keep me from floating away. It seemed to work because I could suddenly focus on the fact that he was here and right in front of me. I saw the raw concern in his blue eyes and couldn't look away. _How is it possible for eyes to be that blue?_

"Maya?" he tried again.

"It's Riley." I whispered, still unable to glance away.

"What happened?" It was at that moment, his eyes boring into mine, that I remembered Lucas had been Joshua's friend too and like water approaching a waterfall, my words just tumbled out. I told him everything.

"I don't know how to help her this time." I admitted slightly desperate. "I don't know what to do."

"Where is she now?" he asked without hesitation.

"Her apartment" I answered.

Releasing me, he brought up his left arm to glance at his watch. My eyes followed his and I noticed we had less than half an hour left.

"Meet me by the main entrance when you're done for the day" he said. "Maybe I can help."

* * *

An hour later, Josh and I walked through her apartment door. I moved to set the groceries on the counter while he made his way towards Riley, who was asleep on the same spot of the couch as I had left her this morning.

I watched over her kitchen bar top as he crouched in front of her and swept the hair off her forehead. Riley awoke then, and upon realizing who it was, lunged forward slipping her arms around Joshua. He hugged her back just as tightly.

"Hey little niece" he whispered.

I continued to watch, smiling, as I started to dice the tomatoes. He was holding both of her hands in his and continued speaking to her in hushed whispers. Suddenly, she moved to get up and headed towards her room, closing the door behind her.

He came towards me then and grabbed the grocery bag to my right, unpacking the spaghetti pasta.

"What did you say to her to get her to move?" I asked.

"Oh, I just told her she smelled and to go clean up." I moved to kick him in the shin when he picked up a dish towel and whipped it out to crack it inches from my arm. To my disgust, I think I screamed. In my defense, actually there is no defense. I screamed like a girl. He laughed.

I turned my back on him then and continued to put the sauce together while he got out a pot to boil water in.

* * *

"You're doing it wrong!"

"No, you won't let me do it right!"

"Give it here! You're going to make it taste awful!" I said, reaching for the garlic salt with my hands already coated in butter. Boys should not be allowed to make garlic bread.

He maneuvered his hand up out of my reach and then proceeded to dump garlic salt on my head._ Real mature_. He laughed at my expression until I picked up the basil and began pelting him with it. We went back and forth for awhile until I heard a sound I hadn't heard in so long, Riley's laughter.

I turned to see her standing there fresh and clean with a towel wrapped around her head. She was still laughing and it was such a beautiful sound that even covered in garlic salt, I smiled. I couldn't even be annoyed with Josh anymore.

"Um. Maya, looks like you might want to use my shower now." I couldn't agree more. Josh looked barely scathed while I looked like a buttery mess out to kill vampires. I threw one last handful of basil at Josh before making my way towards her bathroom. "Thank you best friend." I muttered, kissing her cheek before passing her by. She wrinkled her face when she got a whiff of me.

"Now clean this up!" I heard Riley shout before I shut the door. I smiled before turning on the water and entering bliss.

* * *

I finished towel drying my hair when I heard Riley's laughter through the door again, but this time it was a different sort. I exited her room to find Josh leaning over her on the floor, tickling her sides. _Is there any end to their cuteness?_ I watched for a little while, in a way paying Riley back for all the times she had pinned me down and done the same.

Josh eventually noticed me and moved aside to let her up. Still catching her breath and giggling she said "Dinner is ready!" That's when I smelled it. Food. Glorious food. I closed my eyes and inhaled.

Grabbing our plates, instead of eating at Riley's bar top, we all sat on the couch with me somehow in the middle. Riley popped in a movie. Some chick flick I had never seen before, but was completely engrossed not ten minutes in. Josh made fun of us throughout the entire thing, but I caught his worried glances each time the protagonist encountered trouble. It made me grin every single time.

Riley still seemed a little sad, but was pretty much back to her old self. I had Josh to thank for that. He had made her smile again and I was so, so grateful. We all continued to joke back and forth like we did this sort of thing every single night. Part of me wished we could, because before I knew it, the movie was ending.

"I need to head out ladies." Josh said as soon as it was over. I frowned, not wanting the night to end. He went over to kiss Riley on the head and she moved to hug him one last time.

"I'll walk him out." I told Riley when they released each other and he followed me silently.

I opened the door, held it open, and waited until he had gone through before following him out into the hall. I heard the door click shut behind us. He turned toward me. "So I guess I'll see you tomo..." I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around his neck, and pulled him towards me, effectively cutting him off.

"Thank you." I whispered into the crook of his neck after a moment, unsure if he could even hear me. I tightened my grip slightly and noted he smelled of spaghetti, cinnamon, and something else. Something distinctly Josh.

He wrapped his arms around my waist then, returning my embrace. Too shocked at first to do so. Then leaning down slightly, he whispered "Anytime, Maya" into my hair before laying his head on top of mine. "Anytime."

A few seconds later, I stepped back. Embarrassed, I moved a piece of fallen hair behind my ear. "Riley is really lucky to have you for an uncle."

He smiled and looked down at his shoes, seemingly embarrassed too, before lifting his gaze towards me again. "I didn't mean anytime just for Riley's sake. I meant anytime for you too." He continued, his expression suddenly very serious. " For you, Maya. Absolutely anytime."

Smiling shyly, he then turned and made his way down the hall toward the stairs to leave, not noticing the incredulous look I was giving him. When he was out of sight, I leaned against the wall behind me.

_What was that?_

* * *

Finally, I made it back inside Riley's apartment to find her washing dishes. I moved up next to her to dry. "You're not upset that I told him, are you?" I asked.

"No" she replied. "I'm glad you did. After all, he and Lucas were sort of friends too."

"Yeah" I agreed. "I really didn't mean to tell him though. He was staring at me so intensely and then next thing you know words are just falling out of my mouth."

She smiled at me then as if she knew some secret I had yet to figure out, but before I could ask her about it, she changed the subject. "Thank you" she said. "For taking care of me this weekend. I don't know what I would do with out you." I hugged her tight in reply.

We finished the dishes in silence and I headed home after that. I hugged Riley once more before she fled to her room to call Daniel to appease him after not answering her phone all weekend.

I lowered myself onto my bed with a sigh. I tried not to think about the mountain of homework piled three feet away that was due in two days. Instead my thoughts drifted to a certain blue eyed someone and our encounter in the hallway. With those thoughts in mind, I drifted off to sleep.

**A/N: Review! It makes me happy!**


	6. Preparation

"Wow. That is just beautiful."

"I know right?!" I said, holding out my wrist with the paper clip chain bracelet on it. I hadn't had much work to do that day, tackling every unnecessary filing project Dr. Tate sent my way. Hence, the paper clip jewelry making.

Aaron just nodded as if slightly afraid of my sanity while also regarding me as one might a small child. Makes sense considering I am basically seven in a twenty two year old's body.

"Did you notice the earrings?" I asked, pushing the hair on the left side of my head behind my ear and leaning toward him. He quickly shut his eyes in disgust. "Maya, that is simply not sanitary."

"But they're pretty!" I exclaimed.

"I agree" said Elizabeth, walking toward my cubicle. Aaron immediately straightened up and smiled at her awkwardly. She pretty much ignored him.

"I'm surprised you're still in here. Dr. Tate usually lets people in the studio after the first week." _She does?_

"Probably only because she's been out of town so much." Aaron interjected. He turned towards me then. "She's back tomorrow though, so I bet it will be soon." Elizabeth nodded in agreement and then piped in smiling, "I think it's kind of funny how she tries to come across as tough on everyone's first day, but then you discover she's actually the sweetest lady."

_Wait. What?_

"Yeah. She brought me muffins on my second week." said Aaron, smiling at the memory.

_Are we talking about the same woman here?_

I thought about my first day and then every weekly meeting I had with her since. She had shown me nothing but disdain. Every time I walked out of her office, I had to clench my fists, nails biting into my skin, to keep tears from falling. From what Aaron said on my first day, I guess I was under the impression that she was awful to everyone. Apparently not.

_What's wrong with me then?_

"Maya, there's a strange guy here to see you."

"Uh, sorry. What?" I asked Elizabeth, shaking myself out of my troubling thoughts and turning towards her.

"Strange guy" she repeated. "Waiting to see you." She motioned towards the hallway. "Right out there."

"Who is he?"

"I don't know." she answered clearly bored and began inspecting her nails nonchalantly.

"You just let in some crazy stranger asking for me?" I asked incredulously.

"No. Of course not." she replied, rolling her eyes. "Josh did."_ He would_.

I stared at her for a minute. Then I realized staring probably wasn't going to solve anything. So I walked towards the hallway slowly, wondering at my impending doom. Glancing back, I witnessed Aaron giving me a thumbs up because, I mean, what else do you do in this type of situation. Elizabeth just waved happily, completely ignorant. Chocolate Covered Blonde is my new name for her. Actually, nah, too long.

* * *

The first thing I saw when I stepped out into the hallway was the back of Joshua's head. He was speaking to someone, but I couldn't see who just yet. Upon walking closer, a giant smile appeared on my face. I might of (definitely did actually) shoved Josh out of the way as I ran into my stepdad's arms.

"Hey kiddo." said Shawn into my hair, squeezing me back just as tight.

"You're back!" He and my mom had been traveling across the country for the past month. They did it every year. It had become an anniversary tradition for them since I went off to college.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine." muttered Josh, picking himself up off the floor. I waved him off and Shawn laughed.

Just that moment, Aaron and Elizabeth, walked out of the room I was previously occupying, into the hallway, and headed towards the stairs. "We'll meet you there!" Elizabeth called out over her shoulder.

We were all needed this afternoon to help set up for the Armory Party tomorrow night. I still didn't understand what the party was for, except that it was held at Piers 92 and 94 every year. Everyone seemed excited though. So I was too. "Yeah. We'll be there soon!" Josh called after her.

We both turned back toward Shawn. "So where's mom?" I asked, looking around for her. With an apologetic face, he answered "Unfortunately, your mom caught some sort of bug on our way back into town so she's currently going through every single box of Kleenex we own."

"Aw" I really wanted to see her. "Ok. Well give her a hug for me."

"I will. Well hey, working girl, just came by to see you on the job. Super proud of you." He said pulling me in to a hug. "Dinner next week?" he asked. I nodded. "Alright then." He clapped Josh on the back. "Come for dinner too, ok. Miss seeing you."

"Wouldn't miss it" answered Josh. I smiled at their exchange. Shawn had always been like an extra older (and cooler, Shawn would say) brother to Josh.

"It's settled then. See you two next week." he gave me another hug before turning to leave. Josh and I turned to leave too, but didn't get far.

"Oh, and Josh!" We both turned toward Shawn again. "Take good care of her." he said, nodding towards me.

Josh didn't even miss a heartbeat when he replied. "Absolutely. I would never let anything bad happen to her." I blushed.

Shawn smiled and saluted. Then he was gone.

* * *

"So this whole place will be packed tomorrow?" I asked turning in a circle, taking it all in as we walked down the center aisle of the room

"Yep." replied Josh, staring towards a wall on our right where workers were currently setting up bright blue lighting. I had always been told that lighting at a party changes everything. It was true.

"Well" Josh said, scratching the back of his head and glancing around. "There doesn't really seem to be anything for us to do here."

I looked around again and realized he was right. The room looked nearly complete and all the current workers were starting to gather up their stuff to leave. Looking at my phone, I saw it was only 3 pm.

"So do we go back to the museum then?" I asked, spotting and waving at Elizabeth across the room. She waved back and then resumed ordering Aaron around.

Josh thought about it. "My favorite coffee shop is a couple blocks away."

"Won't we get in trouble for skipping out?"

He looked at me like I was mental. "Of course not. Come on." he said, already heading for the exit.

I knew he probably had a nicer boss than me, and I had a bad feeling about what would happen if Dr. Tate found out, but I followed._ She's not here, I_ reminded myself.

Still, I felt uneasy all the way to the metro station.

* * *

When we reached the top of the stairs after getting off the subway, I was greeted with a familiar sight.

"Hey! It's my high school!" I told Josh as we began to pass it. I noticed three high school boys were sitting on the steps. It was remarkable how strikingly similar they resembled characters from a science fiction show I used to watch with Shawn. I smiled as we passed by. Suddenly, one of them stood up hastily and approached me.

"Are you Maya Hart?" he asked.

I turned cautiously and appraised the boy in front of me. He appeared no older than 15 and seemed harmless enough, but I decided to take a few steps back. For safety reasons.

"Uh. Yes?" I answered more like a question than a confirmation.

The boy motioned for his friends to come forward. He looked as if he had struck gold. "The legends they tell of your beauty are true." the boy said, almost reverently.

_What the?!_

I stepped back to turn and run but I heard wheezing behind me. _Oh God, not another one._ I turned slowly, but only to see Josh bent over laughing hysterically.

_Seriously?_

"You done yet?" I asked. He held up a finger as if to tell me one moment and continued to laugh. Apparently not. I waited a few seconds more. Still laughing._ Ok, now he's just being rude._

Annoyed, I turned back around and jumped. The three guys were still gawking at me but had moved even closer. One reached out to touch my hair. _Ok. That's enough of that. _I hightailed it out of there, almost forgetting to grab Joshua's arm on the way. Riley would have been proud of my running skills at that moment

Josh was still laughing as we rounded a corner three blocks later. I looked behind us. All clear. I punched Josh's shoulder. Kind of hard too."Would you quit it already?!"

"What? That was hilarious!" I glared but he continued. "I can only imagine what would happen if you ever walked down the hallway of that school again." He contemplated that. "We should go back some time!"

He finally caught my glare then. "What?" he asked.

"You're being annoying and not helping! That was not normal back there!"

"Yes" he agreed. "You seem surprised though. Surely you have looked in the mirror."

"What are you talking about?!" I asked still clearly frustrated

"You're going to make me say it, aren't you?" he said, grinning lopsidedly at me.

i just stared at him in confusion. He stepped closer, his eyes boring into mine again. "Maya Hart, you are beautiful."

I blushed but he continued. "Hasn't anyone ever told you?"

_Not anyone that matters_.

Maybe that's why I was upset. Friends and family, sure, but the catcalls from strangers and unexpected grabs in bars where men suddenly found themselves incapacitated, they didn't count. Not to me.

I looked down at my hands before replying. "Nothing like what just occurred has ever happened to me" I explained. "Sorry, I'm just creeped out " I said apologetically. He nodded in understanding. Then he looked over my head at something behind us.

"Hey we're here." he stated.

I turned around to see the entrance to the most quaint and cozy looking coffee place I had ever seen. I saw giant bookcases and numerous couches through the windows. It made me smile. With Josh, I guess I was expecting something more modern and pristine, but he continued to surprise me. I was struck again with just how much I didn't know about him.

He walked forward and held the door open for me. I smiled and headed that direction.

"Hey, Maya?" he asked as I passed him, walking in.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you wearing paper clips as earrings?"

**A/N: You'll make my day if you review. **

**Fun fact. The MOMA Armory Party (the real one) was last night. I have never (and will never) planned to have this story similar to real time, but I thought that was cool. **


	7. The Armory Party

Rainy days are the best. Actually, scratch that, rainy weekends are the best.

With it being Saturday and me actually catching a break from homework for once, I was back in the same coffee shop me and Josh had occupied just yesterday. I can see why it's his favorite and now I think it is mine too.

I stared out the window, watching people run for cover and cabs splash in puddles as they drove past. As much as I loved Riley and everyone else I considered family, I cherished these moments where I could be alone. But now it was time to go. Taking one last sip of my cappuccino, I swept out of my chair and headed towards the door, digging in my bag for my umbrella along the way.

Armory Week. Josh finally explained it to me last night, and although the two words may have entered my ears once or twice before, as an art student I am embarrassed and ashamed of myself for not learning and partaking earlier.

For seventeen years, the week long Armory Show is considered America's leading fine arts fair completely devoted to 20th and 21st century art. All week long, artists, curators, critics, collectors, and more arrive in New York from all over the world to partake. You understand the depths of my shame now.

The main event of the entire week? The MOMA Armory Party.

I was beyond excited. Since I loved the rain, I decided this time to walk instead of taking the subway and although I was now freezing, I was happy. Maybe I was also skipping while ignoring everyone's judgmental faces. That's me. The young woman skipping down the sidewalk with her rain boots and umbrella like a child. Eventually, I found myself standing in front of The Piers. I stopped. Water cascaded down my umbrella and for a moment I watched mesmerized as droplets fell slowly to the ground before focusing again on the building in front of me.

_Yea!_

I did not run inside. No. I am an adult with loads of self control... Ha!

I walked through collection after collection, weaving through each one like a maze, my face hurting slightly due to my nonstop smiling. When I reached the portion where the party would be held later tonight, someone called out to me.

"Maya!" My eyes widened and I froze.

There she was. The commissioned artist for the Armory Show herself, Ingrid Nichols. And she remembered my name. _Relax! Don't freak her out!_ Cause you know, telling yourself that always works. It seemed to this time though because my face softened and I smiled as she approached.

"Nice to see you again, Mrs. Nichols." I said when she reached me._ So far so good_. Then she hugged me and I freaked out again for a second.

"Are you enjoying the exhibits so far?" she asked, releasing me. That question helped me relax again because it made me smile, remembering all I had seen so far. "Yes!" I answered, a little too excited. I immediately blushed at my outburst but she just laughed.

"Um" Still embarrassed, I brushed a piece of fallen hair behind my ear. "I was actually on my way towards your exhibit" Ingrid smiled so wide at that and then did something I never expected.

"Would you like a tour?" she asked. I think my eyes were in danger of falling out of their sockets. I nodded my head up and down so fast.

"Right this way" she stated, motioning towards the entrance at the other side of the room.

_Ohmygodohmygodohmygod_

* * *

Ingrid talked me through every single piece, explaining what message she was trying to convey with each and the emotions she had felt when she had created them. I loved and admired her all the more for it.

"Here is the piece I created specifically for tonight." I moved closer. It was beautiful. All of Ingrid's pieces had a distinctive feminist quality to them. This one in particular displayed a young girl holding up a perfect drawing of a cat toward a woman facing away from the child and talking on her phone. The piece was titled "Pay Attention" and I adored it.

Every year, the commissioned artist would create a special piece to be auctioned off at the party. All the proceeds went to the museum. I thought this piece in particular would be very popular.

"I love it. All of it!" I said motioning to the room at large. Ingrid laughed. "Thank you my dear. Oh! Hello Elizabeth!" said Ingrid.

I turned around to see Elizabeth walking toward us. "Hello Ingrid. Maya I'm so happy to see you here!" she said, clearly relieved. "Everyone else left already. Can you help me with something?"

"Um. Sure." I said.

"I'll see you girls tonight." said Ingrid, placing a hand on both of our shoulders before leaving us to work.

Some workers had decided to leave a copious amount of extra lights and also decided to leave them in the corner where the food was supposed to go. That's not annoying or inconsiderate. "Ok! All ready for you!" Elizabeth told the caterer after we had shoved the last of them into a nearby closet.

We then started to make our way out.

"So what are you wearing tonight?" she asked when we reached the sidewalk.

That's when I remembered. Party. Tonight. Not casual. _Crap!_ I pictured my closet in my mind. Besides the numerous work outfits I had recently acquired with Riley which weren't really appropriate for this sort of thing, I maybe only had one skirt and it was denim.

I glanced at my watch. We only had a couple of hours before we were supposed to be back here. There was no way that I had enough time to buy a dress, get home, and then get ready. Even Riley was too far away.

Elizabeth must have noticed the panic on my face. "Hey. Why don't you come over to my place and you can borrow something." She nodded her head toward the south. "I live four blocks that way."

I looked her up and down, taking in her perfect curves. "Do you have anything that will fit me?" I asked. She laughed. "I'm sure I have plenty of things that will fit you, Maya." she said, making her way down the sidewalk already. I followed. "We look about the same size." I didn't believe her for a second.

* * *

Turns out we were exactly the same size. Where Elizabeth was tall and lean, I was shorter and curvier. So I guess it evened out, but there was still no way I was wearing this.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" said Elizabeth, standing behind me as I faced her full length mirror. "It looks perfect!"

I was wearing a dark blue bandage dress. Like I know what that means!

"But it shows" I started gesturing wildly at the thing "everything!" It wasn't necessarily too tight or even revealing, but it definitely was form fitting.

"Well your everything looks amazing." I glanced up at her, taking in her simple purple dress that on anyone else would have looked plain, but on her looked nothing short of exquisite. She smiled at me. "There's always the green one."

I looked again at the dress hanging to my right with its plunging neckline. I sighed. "Ok. This one it is." She clapped her hands together, I had never seen her so excited before. After that she even helped curl my hair and let me borrow whatever makeup I didn't have with me in my bag. Before I knew it, it was already time for us to head out.

I closed my eyes as I faced the mirror one last time to see the final result. When I opened my eyes, I gasped. A very pretty girl stared back at me and I couldn't believe that girl was me.

"Maya Hart" said Elizabeth, coming up behind me. "You look hot." she said punctuating every word. I smiled and turned towards her, hugging her tightly. "Thanks so much, Elizabeth." I said releasing her.

"You're welcome." she said grabbing her clutch off her bed and making her way towards the door. "Now let's go knock that man's socks off!"

I turned towards her confused. "What man?" I asked, but she was already out of the room.

* * *

Elizabeth shoes were about a half size too big but with a cotton ball in between my heel and the back of each, they worked out just fine. Walking down the street, I was grateful we were only a few blocks away. Elizabeth's shoes were comfortable enough, but heels were not my favorite. How I wore them every other day in middle school is beyond me. I am such a different person now.

We arrived at the Piers to quite the crowd. Stepping inside, I couldn't help but look around in awe. It was one thing to see it all be set up and quite another to see the finished product. A DJ was playing at one end of the room while people milled about with champagne flutes in hand. I even spotted a few celebrities.

Elizabeth went to find a restroom as soon as we arrived and I headed over to where the food was. Of course. Before I reached the table of delicacies, however, I noticed Josh to my right, speaking to a bartender behind the counter. He was standing next to a guy leaning against the bar and surveying the crowd. He had red hair and I had maybe seen him around the museum once or twice.

As Joshua's back was currently turned, it was the red head that noticed me first. His eyes widened and he grinned smugly as I made my approach. "Well hello gorgeous." he said suggestively.

"Dylan" said Josh, still not having turned around "may I remind you that although this is a party, we are still technically working." He then faced this Dylan fellow. "So please stop hitting on every girl in the room." he finished.

Dylan, showing no shame or regret, just smiled. "You obviously haven't seen this girl, mate." he said, nodding in my direction.

Josh turned toward me then, looking like he was about to apologize, but then he saw it was me and froze.

"Maya" he whispered. His eyes swept over me then and I felt exposed. I shifted uncomfortably._ I knew I shouldn't have worn this dress_. His eyes met mine again. "Y-you" he cleared his throat. "You look really nice, Maya."

I relaxed then and smiled. "Thank you. So do you."

He did indeed. His light blue button down shirt made his blue eyes stand out even more.

"Dude!" said Dylan, hitting Joshua's shoulder. "You know her?! You're supposed to introduce me to girls like her!" Josh glared at him. Dylan looked back unashamed.

Josh sighed. "Maya, Dylan" he gestured between the two of us. "Dylan, Maya"

"Charmed my lady" said Dylan stepping forward to kiss my hand. I couldn't help but laugh. Yes, he was a shameless flirt, but he seemed harmless.

At that moment, Ingrid found me. "Maya, you look stunning!"

"Thank you" I said. She turned towards the boys "Gentlemen" she said in acknowledgment. They both came forward to shake her hand and congratulate her. Elizabeth and Aaron finally found us and we spent the next few minutes laughing and chatting like everyone had known each other forever.

"Miss Hart" I cringed. I recognized that voice. I turned slowly to find Dr. Tate standing there. "Will you come with me please?" I nodded. _Uh oh_.

"Teresa!" said Ingrid, her and Dr. Tate were clearly friends. "Hello Ingrid" smiled Dr. Tate, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. I passed my empty glass to a waiter, my hand shaking as I prepared to follow Dr. Tate. Josh seemed to notice my uneasiness, looking at me in concern. I quickly shot him a smile to let him know I was fine, but I couldn't tell if he was convinced or not before I followed Dr. Tate out of the room.

* * *

We walked down a long hallway, one side showcasing a beautiful mirror that took up the entire expanse of the hallway, the other displaying a gorgeous view of the Hudson River. Moonlight filtered through making it all the more beautiful.

I could hardly appreciate it though. My heart was about to beat out of my chest.

We reached the end of the hallway before coming to another small room made completely of glass.

"Miss Hart" she said turning towards me. "Why do you think keeping Mrs. Nichols from speaking with potential bidders for her artwork is a good idea? She has more important matter to tend to tonight."

I hung my head. "I'm sorry" I whispered. "I wasn't thinking."

"No you weren't! You never do." she started circling me like a bird about to attack its prey."You come here tonight dressed like a harlot. You skip out on work yesterday. Are you capable of doing anything useful?"

"You're a disgrace of an artist" she continued. "You can't even file my wor..." "

"Are you done?!" I finally asked, shouting slightly and raising my head towards her in anger. "Because I have more important things to do as well than hear you complain about my every flaw."

'Smack!'

The sound echoed in the room as I suddenly found myself staring down and to the right from the force of the impact.

She slapped me. She actually slapped me.

Tears immediately filled my eyes as my cheek started swelling. Slowly, I raised my gaze back to hold hers. I saw no regret, only malice. She turned viciously and walked out of the room.

* * *

I walked down the long hallway again slowly, defeated and sad.

I suddenly gasped when I felt someone grasp my wrist and whip me around towards them. I found myself face to face with one very angry Joshua Matthews.

"How long?" hissed Josh. He looked furious, although I could tell it wasn't at me. I was too shocked to answer, my mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"How long, Maya!? he repeated.

I clamped my eyes shut, a few tears escaping my eyes as his fingers tightened around my wrist. "You're hurting me" I whispered. He let go immediately.

"Maya..." "Since the beginning," I finally answered before he could ask a third time. "She's spoken to me like that since the beginning."

He nodded, his eyes sad and somewhat guilty, like he should have known all along even though there was no way he could have. "And how long has she been hitting you?" he asked stepping closer.

"Tonight was the first time." I answered immediately.

He searched my eyes for a long moment, but nodded again when he saw I was telling the truth. He stepped back, turning around and running his fingers through his hair.

"Dr. Tate is a powerful woman, highly respected, with many friends and admirers." he paced back and forth.

I lowered my head, staring at the floor with tears in my eyes. _I know that. I know she is._ He suddenly stopped pacing and came toward me. I felt soft fingers under my chin, tilting my face up until I was looking into his eyes again.

"But I will fix this, Maya. I swear to you. I will fix this."

I could only stare. His eyes left mine after a moment to gaze at my swollen cheek. I felt his fingertips brush over the area softly. As soon as he realized what he was doing, however, he jerked his hand back as if stung.

He cleared his throat. "Go back to the party" he said. "Go back. I'll take care of this."

With that, he turned and walked down the hallway. I watched him go. When he passed through a door and was out of sight, I let out a shaky breath. Then I turned and went back to the party.

Just as he told me to.


	8. New Beginning

I spent both Saturday and Sunday night tossing and turning with thoughts of Dr. Tate and what would happen next. That wasn't all though. I couldn't get Joshua out of my head. Our encounter was on repeat in my mind and I could not figure out why. I remembered his fierceness, his sorrowful eyes, and I could still feel warm fingers caressing my cheek.

Needless to say, I awoke Monday morning a mess. A late mess. I scrambled to get ready and barely made it inside the museum when 8:00 arrived. I breathed a sigh of relief at making it on time and moved my purse up higher on my shoulder as I made my way in.

"Miss Maya?" I turned to see Gene, my favorite security guard, headed towards me from the front desk.

"Morning." I said smiling.

"Good morning, Miss Maya. I have a message for you" he said reaching into his pocket. _Oh no_.

"You need to go to Dr. Nolan's office on the 3rd floor. Here is his office number." he said handing me a sheet of paper.

"Thank you, Gene" I said, taking the small slip of paper from his hand. I had met Dr. Nolan once before. He was one of three that interviewed me for my internship and I remember thinking he was the kindest gentleman I had ever met. Still, this meeting made me nervous. I don't remember making it to the 3rd floor.

_Is this it? Am I fired?_ Thoughts swirled in my head, but amazingly, I managed to find his office. I knocked twice.

"Come in" I faintly heard from the inside.

I walked in and immediately noticed Dr. Nolan leaning against the front of a large desk. He smiled brightly as I entered the room. "Good morning, Miss Hart." he said. I nodded and smiled slightly in his direction because I didn't trust my voice at that moment.

Looking to my right I saw Elizabeth was here as well, standing next to a bookshelf. Elizabeth gave me a small smile but her eyes looked sad and apologetic. It did nothing to help my nerves.

"Have a seat, Miss Hart." I turned back toward Dr. Nolan to see him motioning towards a chair in front of him.

"I'll stand." I answered. "Thank you." If they were not going to sit, then neither would I.

"As you wish." He paused then, looking down at the floor., as if he didn't know where to start. After a moment, he lifted his gaze towards me. "Miss Hart, Teresa Tate was terminated earlier this morning."

My eyes widened "Excuse me?"

"She was fired, Miss Hart, and as for myself and the Museum of Modern Art, I wanted to tell you how deeply sorry we are for how you have been treated thus far." I noticed Elizabeth out of the corner of my eye, lowering her head as if ashamed.

"We also wanted to let you know that you have our full support if you should like to press charges." I hadn't even thought of that. Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably to my right. _Should I? Shouldn't I?_ I considered it, but upon remembering all of the stupid choices I have made so far in my life, it wasn't hard for me to make my choice.

"No" I said finally. "I don't wish to do that."

"Very well" answered Dr. Nolan, nodding. He walked toward me then. "Rumors no doubt will fly, but I wanted you to know this situation will be held in strict confidence."

"Meaning?" I asked.

Elizabeth answered for him. "He means no one will know the circumstances of Dr. Tate's termination except for upper management and us here in this room. And Josh of course." she added.

"Company etiquette aside, we figured this was a circumstance that you would wish to keep private." continued Dr. Nolan.

"Yes" I nodded, relieved. I decided to take a seat then, sinking down into the plush yet modern chair. "Thank you" I whispered.

He smiled at me and then continued. "Now, Miss Hart, all interns must have a proper employee advisor." I lowered my head. _I knew it. I'm fired._ "Therefore, we would like to offer you a transfer to our Curatorial Department."

My head shot up._ I'm not fired?_ Dr. Nolan continued "You would finish up your internship under me, and Miss Marsden would act as your apprentice." he said, motioning towards Elizabeth. She smiled at me encouragingly.

There wasn't much to think about. "Yes, I accept." I answered immediately.

"Then it's settled" he said smiling. "Elizabeth, will you help move her over?"

"Absolutely!" answered Elizabeth, practically jumping up and down.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in" Dr. Nolan called out. I heard the door open as Elizabeth hoisted me up.

"Ah, Josh, I'm glad you're here, will you look over these plans for me." I turned to smile at Josh as he passed, but he ignored me, walking straight over to Dr. Nolan's desk and taking the papers from his hand.

I frowned. _That was weird. Did I do something wrong? _

Before I could think on it longer, another knock resounded and I heard the door open behind me again. Elizabeth and I turned to leave and that's when I saw him. A young man, around my age with sandy blonde hair and striking green eyes, strolled in.

"Ah, Garrett. Morning son." said Dr. Nolan.

"Morning dad." said the new handsome stranger.

He smiled brightly at me as Elizabeth and I passed and my cheeks instantly reddened.

As we exited, I turned and reached back to close the door and noticed he was still looking at me, a faint grin on his lips. I blushed harder and quickly shut the door, following Elizabeth down the hall.

I never noticed the intense, dark look that overcame Joshua as he watched the entire exchange.

* * *

This. Is. Seriously. Cool.

While all of the different departments of the curatorial group had their own sections and offices, they were all linked by a single large room that everyone shared. A variety of tables of different shapes and sizes were spread across the room. A few computers lined the walls to the South. There were even a few couches about if anyone wanted to lounge and do work. My favorite part though, was the large window overlooking the garden. It let in loads of sunshine and I was so excited to get away from fluorescent lighting.

"You like it?"asked Elizabeth

"I love it." I answered, throwing myself back onto one of the couches. She joined me, although much more gracefully.

She hesitated a moment and then turned towards me. "Maya, I am so sorry!"

I grinned, trying to lighten the mood, and waved her off. "You couldn't have known, Elizabeth. Don't worry about it."

"I know. I just... wish I would have." she continued.

She looked so sad and heartbroken in that moment that I quickly moved over to hug her. "Thank you, Elizabeth." We separated and she swiped a single tear from her eye. "But now we get to hang out all the time!" From sad to happy in 0.4 seconds. "So let me explain how things work here." she said tossing a notebook in my lap.

For the next 30 or so minutes, Elizabeth explained to me the curator's life. There were six different departments within the Curatorial Office: Architecture and Design, Film, Drawings and Prints, Media and Performance Art, Painting and Sculpture, and Photography. Elizabeth and I would be dealing with Painting and Sculpture. Basically, my job would be to help with acquisitions, exhibitions, and collection display.

I was a little upset that I would not be working in a studio like I was supposed to with Dr. Tate's group in Art Preservation, but I was excited nonetheless.

"Decided to come back and see me, hey gorgeous?" We both looked up to see Dylan, whom I had met that past weekend, standing in front of us.

"Go away, Dylan. We're busy" answered Elizabeth.

Instead, Dylan decided to sit on the couch and put his arm around me. "I'm just here to welcome our new friend. It's Maya, right?" I nodded. "Nice to officially meet you." he added. "You too" I said. I had to smile, because he just seemed hilarious. I had a feeling that the only way he knew how to communicate was to flirt.

"Dylan!" warned Elizabeth.

"Alright, alright" he said, putting his hands up in surrender and getting off the couch. He walked over to a table in the corner, a table that Josh was currently occupying. _When did he get here?_ Dylan high-fived Josh on his way out of the room and disappeared down the hallway. I needed to talk to Josh.

"I'll be right back." I told Elizabeth, getting up.

"K" she answered, watching me make my way over to his table. Josh had just risen from his chair but froze when he saw me coming. _Why is he acting so weird?_

"Thank you" I said reaching him. "I really appreciate what you did for me."

"No problem" he answered quickly, avoiding my gaze and promptly walking out of the room. I stared after him. _Seriously! What is going on?_

Lost in thought, I made my way back over to Elizabeth and sat down. She attempted to explain a few more things to me, but my thoughts kept drifting towards Josh and his strange attitude. Josh eventually reentered the room later that afternoon, sitting at the table in the corner again with a pole of books. I stared at him, trying to figure out just what was wrong, but I came up empty.

* * *

The day passed quickly. Elizabeth left early to go to some appointment. Soon, everyone had gone home and it was just me and Josh left in the room. I snapped the book I was currently reading shut. I didn't understand why he was acting so strange. He barely spoke or even spared me a glance all day. I wanted to know why. Confused and fed up, I got up and walked straight over to him.

"What gives?" I asked, placing both of my hands on the table and staring him down. "You've been ignoring me all day."

"I have not been ignoring you. I've just bee-" "Josh!" I interjected, tired of it all.

He dropped his book on the table with a resounding thud. I pulled the chair next to his out and sat down, relieved he was finally going to speak to me.

"You didn't tell me" he finally admitted. "You told me she had been treating you horribly since day one and all that time, you never told me. You never told anyone! Why, Maya?!" He peered up at me, waiting for an explanation.

I paused, struck by the disheartened look he was giving me.

"I don't know." I murmured.

He scoffed. "That's not a very good reason for not telling me."

"I don't know!" I tried again. I hated that he was now looking at me like I was some sort of masochist or coward. Although I was beginning to think the word coward seemed close to the truth.

"Maya! How could you put up with something like that?" he asked, angry now. "How could you not tell anyone? How could you not tell me?! I thought we were friends! I thought -"

"Because I don't know you!" I cried out, cutting him off.

It just tumbled out of my mouth. I don't know where it had come from, but I realized it was true.

"I don't" I continued, softly. "I've known you a long time, sure, but I don't know anything about you. We're not friends, not really, or at least not yet." I ended the last sentence in a whisper.

He let out a shaky breath, threading his fingers through his hair. He looked hurt slightly.

"You're right." he finally said. His gaze so sorrowful, I had to look away, my eyes dropping down to the tiled floor. "But you scared me, Maya." he continued. "Shawn told me to look out for you. All I could think of when I saw her hit you was how I had failed in doing that."

"I"m sorry." I whispered after a moment, glancing back up at him. "You're right. I should have told someone and I didn't. I wish I could explain it, but I can't."

I could actually. My dad abandoned me, every boyfriend I ever had grew tired and left me. I was used to being mistreated. Had even come to expect it. It was as simple as that, but I didn't trust Josh enough to admit that to him.

Josh nodded, accepting my explanation. "I'm sorry I've been acting like a jerk towards you all day. You don't deserve that. But hey" he added with a smile. "Maybe now you'll get a chance to know me since we'll be working closer together."

"I'd like that." I smiled back

He picked his book up off the table. "Come on" he said, getting up and. motioning towards the door. "I'll walk you home."

I went to get my stuff on the couch and we both headed out.

Argument forgotten and something new beginning.

**A/N: Review please. :)**


	9. Spring Rolls

"Spring rolls, crab rangoons, lettuce wraps for me, and" Dr. Nolan turned back towards me, "honey shrimp for you, right?" I nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "I think that's it!" he told the waiter, handing both of our menus back to him.

He then peered down at the screen of his phone. "Maya, I hope you don't mind, but my son just asked what I was doing for lunch. Would you mind terribly, if I invited him to join us?"

"No, not all!" I said immediately. "The more the merrier." I meant it too. Having a great boss makes all the difference in the world. In fact, this was the third work day in a row that Dr. Nolan... err he wanted me to call him James now, had taken me out to lunch, but as much as I was enjoying them, it was starting to become a little awkward to keep the conversation flowing. All we really had in common was art, and those conversations had been used up.

Then I remembered who his son was. The beautiful blonde stranger from his office.

"Are you alright, Maya? You look a little flushed." _Dang it!_ Why can't a person control their blushing? I moved to reply, but noticed the front door to the restaurant opening and there he was, all words to be spoken immediately forgotten.

He spotted his father immediately and hastened over. James stood up to greet him so I decided I should as well. "Hey dad. Good choice on the place. I was just around the corner." James pulled his son into a hug. "Glad it worked out, son." His father released him and he finally noticed me.

"Oh. Hello." he said, flashing perfect white teeth.

"Hello" I replied back, shyly smiling.

"I didn't know you were working, I can go." he said to James pointing back towards the door.

"No!" It took a second to realize that was my voice. They both turned towards me. _Just one day. Just one day in my life where I don't humiliate myself_._ It's all I want. _"I mean... I would hate to get in the way of your time together." Garrett's smile grew even brighter and I looked down at the table embarrassed. Luckily, Dr. Nolan, I mean James, chose to speak.

"Garrett, this is Maya." Garrett reached over to shake my hand. "Maya, meet my son, Garrett."

"Nice to meet you" I said.

"Likewise, Maya." His eyes were a brilliant shade of green.

"Well, let's sit!" said James clapping his hands together. I blushed impossibly harder when Garrett and mine's fingers brushed as he reluctantly released my hand. They sat on either side of me, the waiter rushing over to take Garrett's order.

"Garrett just returned from London" James informed me.

"Really?" I began rolling my silverware out of my napkin. "What were you doing in London?"

"I was studying Literature at Oxford." he answered, shrugging. He nodded a thanks to the waiter as his drink was set down in front of him.

"Wow." _What else was there to say really?_

James continued on Garrett's behalf. "Before that it was building refugee shelters in Thailand."

"Stop it, dad" Garrett interjected. "She doesn't want to hear about me."

"I do actually." I said before even realizing it. A_gain with the words just spewing out of my mouth. Why do I have no control?! _

"Um. Alright." It appears that he is the one blushing now_. _"What do you want to know?"

_Everything_.

"Whatever you want to tell me" I answered.

Our food arrived and Garrett began telling me numerous tales of his adventures overseas. Each one more captivating than the next, but what really captivated me was the way James and Garrett interacted with each other. You could just tell there was so much love and respect between them by the way James encouraged and Garrett listened. It was a beautiful thing to witness first hand. Garrett didn't just talk about himself though. He asked about me as well, my school, the internship, my hobbies. It was nice.

I jumped when James' phone started to ring as we were finishing up eating. He picked it up, taking a quick glance at the screen. "Hold on, I need to take this" he said getting up from the table, walking outside, and leaving me and Garrett alone in awkward silence. He found the salt and pepper shakers fascinating while I twisted my napkin in my lap. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, he spoke.

"Um. How old are you?" he asked out of the blue.

"Twenty two" I answered. "You?"

"Twenty three." So I was right. He was about my age.

"Well it seems like you've done a lot with your life so far." I quipped. He laughed, throwing his head back slightly. "Uh, I guess. It's more likely that I just have a hard time staying in one place. Need a good reason to stay somewhere and I never seem to find it."

"Will you be here long then?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"We'll see" he said grinning at me. "New York has always been considered home, but who knows," he shrugged, "maybe I'll finally find a good reason to stay this time." He stared into my eyes intensely at that last part and I suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

James returned at that moment. "Well it turns out that I am needed on the Upper West Side. Everything is paid for though and you two stay as long as you want." He glanced towards me. "You good getting back?"

I opened my mouth to reply. "I'll take her" Garrett answered before I even had a chance.

"Thanks son. I appreciate it." He squeezed Garrett's shoulder on his way out the door.

"You really don't need to do that" I told Garrett. "I know how to get back."

"I want to." he said. "I want to spend more time with you._"_ His smile was contagious.

"Are you ready?" he asked. I nodded, taking one last sip from my water, before standing up and following him out.

We walked, relatively silent, on our way back to the museum. Every so often, one of us would ask the other a random question. He seemed nervous all of a sudden, like he was trying to build up his courage for something. The confident, young man from the restaurant simply wasn't there at the moment.

A block away, Garrett suddenly stopped and turned towards me. "Maya, will you have dinner with me Friday night?"

I couldn't quite believe it._ That's why? That's why he was so nervous?_ Seemed bizarre that someone like him would be nervous around someone like me. I pretended to think about it for a second. "Of course I will" I answered, smile growing by the second. He breathed a sigh of relief, confidence slowly returning. I couldn't wipe the grin off my face as we continued on our way down the busy sidewalk.

I gave him my number and we agreed on a time. Before I knew it, I was back in front of the MOMA. "See you Friday, Maya." Garrett said, taking my hand again. "See you then." I replied. He released me, grinning, and turned to walk away. I stared until he had disappeared around the corner.

I waited until I was tucked safely inside before closing my eyes and let out the squeal that had been building in me ever since he asked. I opened my eyes to see about 30 people staring at me. _Oh right. This is a public place._ I smiled at everyone before fleeing the lobby.

* * *

"Where did he take you today?" Josh asked as soon as I had stepped off the elevator. "The new Chinese place on Broadway" I answered slyly. He had talked about the place forever it seemed.

"Ugh" he growled, walking with me down the hall. "I hate you. I've wanted to go there for weeks and you get to go for free!"

I shrugged, grinning mischievously. We had reached where my department was. "So I'll see you tonight?" he asked before I could walk through the door. _What?_

"Hmm?" I asked, eyebrows furrowed and clearly confused.

"Dinner at your mom's" he said slowly, as if to a small child._ Oh right!_

"Oh! Yeah! Yeah you will!" I answered, shaking my head to clear it. _How could I forget?_

"Ok then." He smiled, clearly amused. "Your school is on my way, do you want to go over together?" He started shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

I thought about it. I never had liked walking there alone. "Sure" I replied finally, nodding my head. "That would be great."

"See you then" he said with one last grin before turning around once more. I nearly knocked Elizabeth flat off her feet when I turned to head into my department again. Ever the graceful one, I am.

* * *

It was much colder tonight, much colder than I thought it would be. I was waiting for Josh at the front of my building and suddenly regretting my decision to not grab my gloves. Josh rounded the corner, much more prepared for the chilly night, and seemed startled to see me. He looked down at his watch. "Am I late?" _Five minutes early actually_.

"No" I replied. "I just didn't want to sit in my room anymore." I walked down the stairs to meet him, the wind greeting me at full force now. A shiver wracked through my body as we began to walk down the sidewalk together. Josh noted my bare hands. "Maya, where are your gloves?"

"I didn't think I would need them" I mumbled from where my face was buried in the top of my coat, trying to block the wind from my face. Josh maneuvered us over to the side, where we wouldn't be blocking any passersby. He whipped his scarf off and wrapped it around my neck. "Josh! No!"

"Take it, you're freezing" I wanted to protest but another shiver swept through my body. He pulled his gloves off next, taking my right hand and sliding one on before doing the same with my left. I laughed. "My hands are so small." Compared to his, they were about half the size. His gloves swallowed mine. He grinned, pushing the last one on all the way up past my wrist. "I think they're perfect." he murmured.

I barely heard him, my head whipping up to meet his gaze. He grinned sheepishly then shoved his hands in his coat pockets, taking off down the sidewalk again. I noted he was walking a little slower than usual, no doubt so my short legs could keep up.

"Aren't you cold now?" I asked.

"I'm fine, Maya. I promise." he answered, looking over at me with a grin.

He had to have been freezing, but I let it go, inhaling the distinctive scent of Josh emanating from the scarf wrapped around my neck. "Well thank you" I said.

"Of course" he answered. "Now favorite color?"

Ever since our talk in the shared curator's room at work, Josh had stayed true to his word that we would get to know each other better. He started asking random questions just about every chance he caught.

"Rainbow" I answered immediately.

"That is not a color."

"Yes it is!" I made it a point to make every question he ever asked as difficult as possible.

"No, it's not. Come on pick one" he said.

"I can't." I whined. "And you're being a brat. This is worse than favorite food."

"You rattled off 25 food items" he returned. "They can't ALL be your favorite."

"Oh yes they can!" I couldn't live without a single one of them. "Ugh fine" I said when I noticed his pointed look. "Purple."

"There now, was that so hard?" he said, looking rather proud of himself.

"Yes it was!" I moved a strand of hair that had been caught in his scarf back behind my ear. "What's yours?" I asked. I could see Shawn and my mom's building up ahead now.

"Green." He paused "Favorite band?"

"Why can't you just ask easy ones!?"

**A/N: Dinner with Shawn and Katy next chapter! **

**Thank you all for your sweet reviews. For those of you giving reviews as guests, get an account! I want to talk to everyone and I'm sad when I can't. Please?**

**Please review! They really help me know which direction I need to go next. Thanks again! Love you all!**


	10. The Dinner

"This is not my fault."

I glared at him.

"It's not!"

More glaring.

It wasn't two seconds after the door had been opened for us, my arms outstretched and waiting, only to have my little sister run into his arms. Not mine.

Mom came over to help. "Lily, let go." she cooed. "Maya is here!" Mom put her hands on Lily's shoulders to help pull her off, but the child simply tightened her little arms around him. "Joshy" her small voice said, smiling as she attempted to snuggle in even deeper against him. I growled.

_Oh, he is a dead man!_

His eyes widened in fear. _I am my sister's favorite. Everyone knows that!_ Shawn sensing the impending danger, ran over. "Ok!" he said, laughing nervously. "Let's uh -" he caught a glimpse of my angry expression, his eyes becoming as wide as saucers. "Let's uh - let's eat. Yes. That's it. Let's eat." he said putting his arm around me and leading me to the table. I looked over my shoulder to send another dark look in Joshua's direction, yanking his gloves off of my hands and pelting them at his head.

He caught them. Darn.

Mom managed to get Lily loose somehow. Josh's eyes never once leaving me as he took off his coat and attempted to smooth out his now wrinkled shirt. He looked genuinely terrified. Good.

"How does she even remember him! She was two the last time!" I whispered harshly to Shawn, throwing, more like slamming, my coat on the back of a chair. He simply nodded in agreement and sat me down at the table. Shawn knew when it was best to remain silent.

Josh came over and cautiously took the seat next to mine. I considered choking him with his own scarf, but instead I just yanked it off and chucked that at him too.

Suddenly, an energetic mass of blonde hair jumped into my lap. "Sissy!" squealed Lily, throwing her little arms around my neck and squeezing tight. My resolve along with my heart melted at the action. I smiled, closing my eyes and inhaling her sweet scent, as I squeezed her back.

Josh let out a huge sigh of relief. He would live. This time. I set Lily down into the chair next to mine.

"Joshua Matthews, I haven't seen you since your college graduation." said my mother. "You look good" she said, eyes roaming up and down. "Mom!" I cried out, horrified. Shawn just laughed. So did Josh. I was the only one left blushing.

"Sorry, Mrs. Hunter, I mean Katy" he corrected after seeing her pointed look. "Life took off at full speed after that." He handed me the rolls. "But I have missed seeing you, all of you." He glanced over at me at that last part. I looked over at my mother to see a knowing smile upon her face.

"So you're at the MOMA now. Shawn told me you were recently promoted?" she asked.

"Yeah, but the job is pretty much the same as the one I had when hired on" he explained. "A little bit better pay and a new boss. I like my new boss better." I nodded along. _I like him too_. "Basically I'm just a little bit higher on the food chain." he joked.

"Cory said you replaced some girl above you." I passed the chicken over to Josh. "What's the story with that?" asked Shawn.

I whipped my head around to face him, suddenly intrigued. I didn't know any of this.

"She and my former boss were there one day and fired the next. I can't go into the details, but it definitely worked out for me." he replied smirking.

_Interesting_.

"Maya!" said mom, breaking into my thoughts about the matter. I turned towards her. "Have you seen the runway photos yet?"

From that point on, mom and I talked about fashion week, while she cut up chicken for Lily, and Josh and Shawn spoke about some motorcycle they had both seen on the street. Dinner was a rather enjoyable, peaceful affair of simply catching up on each other's lives or at least it was until Josh stole the last drumstick.

"My FORK was in it! How dare you!" I cried out. You don't steal the last drumstick from me. You just don't.

"You knew I was looking at that last piece and you tried to take it!"

"Ok lovebirds!" interjected Shawn. _Oh no he did not_. Shawn took one of his untouched chicken legs and tossed it onto my plate. I pouted like a four year old but relented. Shawn rolled his eyes at my behavior while Josh just looked smug over his victory.

"Baby girl, how's the job?" mom asked, changing the subject. "They treating you well?" _They are now. _

"All except for this one." I answered, motioning towards Josh. All but Josh laughed.

I glanced over to see him looking down at his plate, frowning slightly. It hurt to know he still felt guilty about what had occurred between me and Dr. Tate, especially since it was me who hadn't told anyone. Before I could stop myself, I reached for his hand under the table where no one could see, squeezing his fingers slightly._ I'm sorry_. He turned toward me and grinned, squeezing mine back in return.

"Joshy, will you marry me?" That would be my sweet five year old sister. We all turned towards the little girl with a dreamy expression upon her face. I recognized it. It was the same look I had sent in his direction when I was 13. And 14. And 15. And... Ok! We're done here!

"Of course I will" he answered with a wink. She giggled and tried to hide her face. I smiled, releasing my hand from his.

"Sorry Maya, looks like your sister is going first." joked Shawn. "You'll have to hurry to catch up." I shrugged. "I do have a date on Friday actually" I stated.

From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Josh's expression fall, but when I turned to look at him, he appeared normal._ Must have just imagined it. _

"Who's the lucky guy?" asked Shawn, eyes darting between me and Josh_. _I didn't understand why.

"His name is Garrett. I met him today." I said.

"You agreed to a date with a guy you just met?! What were you-" my mom elbowed Shawn in the ribs to get him to shut up. I wasn't angry. I knew he only wanted to protect me and I appreciated it. "Well I'm happy for you sweetheart." said my mom.

"Thanks mom" I smiled.

"Lily, let's go put your pj's on" she said grabbing my yawning sister from the table. The rest of us cleared the table and moved into the living room, Josh and I taking up the sofa.

Lily ran back in after changing into her pajamas and immediately crawled into Joshua's lap. His eyes widening again as he lifted both of his hands up in surrender, terrified once more.

"This is still not my fault."

"Whatever" I sighed, annoyed. Inside though, I was smiling. He and my sister were kind of adorable together. I would never admit that out loud though.

* * *

"Greatest fear?" I had turned the tables and was now asking the questions. We were currently on the floor in the living room by ourselves attempting to put together one of Lily's many puzzles while my parents attempted to put her to bed.

"Clowns" he answered, not missing a beat.

"No, I mean real fears! Things that keep you up at night, questioning the meaning of life. Stuff like that!" I explained.

He thought about it. "Clowns" he answered again. I sat back against the front of the couch defeated. He started laughing when he noted my expression. "Well, what's yours?" he asked through his laughter. I shrugged. "Same as every girl I guess."

"And what is that?" he asked, handing me a puzzle piece that went with the one I just laid down.

"Abandonment" I pressed the piece down into the right spot.

He nodded. "Have you spoken to your dad lately?" I shook my head. "He calls every few months to catch up or whatever, but those conversations never last more than two minutes."

"I'm so sorry, Maya."

I shrugged. "It's not your fault." I laid another puzzle piece down.

"It's not yours either." I looked away from the puzzle and up towards him. "I don't get it. I don't understand how anyone could not want you in their life." he continued.

The sincerity I found in his eyes was almost too much. "Thank you, Josh." A slow smile was forming across my lips. "Are you going to tell me your biggest fear now?" I asked, challenging him.

He smiled. "Nope." I rolled my eyes.

We sat in silence for a little while after that, picking up and placing puzzle pieces in the right spots. "So you and Garrett, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah" I answered, smiling shyly. "He's a good guy, right?" I asked, noticing he was slightly uneasy. "I mean, you probably know him better..." I trailed off.

"He is." he admitted, somewhat reluctantly. "He's a great guy actually. I like him a lot." he finished.

"So why the frown?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I just-" he paused. "I just can't imagine anyone being worthy of you. That's all."

"Please" I scoffed, rolling my eyes, fitting a corner piece into its place.

"I'm serious" he said softly. I looked up at him. He was.

"You're being very complimentary tonight" I noted, a blush starting to form across my cheeks.

"Just speaking the truth." he said with a gentle smile. We stared at each other for a moment.

Then Shawn decided to join us, effectively breaking whatever kind of moment Josh and I had been sharing. "She now has to have a minimum of three stories every single night!" Shawn slumped down exhausted in the chair next to me. I giggled.

"Yeah, that sounds like a Hart girl." Josh said with a wink in my direction. I pretended to punch him in the arm. Shawn shook his head. "That grandmother of hers must have spoiled her while we were away."

"Oh like you don't do any of that yourself." I exclaimed.

"Here we are!" My mom came out the door carrying a tray of her homemade mint hot chocolate.

"Mom, you are the best!" I said, getting up to sit on the couch and folding my fingers around my cup. I closed my eyes and inhaled the drink's sweet aroma.

"Thanks Katy" said Josh taking his own from her. Mom then took a seat by me on the couch and folded me into her arms. Shawn began telling a story from their trip. These were my favorite moments, in my mom's arms just relaxing and being with those I love most. It was nice having Josh here too. I kind of just wished I could do this every single night.

* * *

Ten o'clock came too quickly. Mom and Shawn had just gone to bed, leaving me and Josh to finish picking up. Typical.

"You ready for me to walk you home?" Josh asked.

I smiled apologetically. "I actually told them I would stay here tonight. Promised a little someone that I would make her banana pancakes in the morning."

"Well I'm jealous" he said, starting to pull on his gloves.

"Thank you" I said "for letting me where those tonight. You certainly didn't have to."

"Anything for you, Maya. I definitely wasn't going to let you freeze." he said, turning towards me and grinning. I returned his grin and walked over with him towards the door.

He opened the door then turned to face me again. "Goodnight Maya."

"Goodnight Josh" I whispered. He slipped out.

I closed the door after him and leaned against it, resting the back of my head against the wood and wondering what this new aching feeling was in my chest. It seemed familiar.

Yet it also seemed brand new.

**A/N: Let me know what you think! Reviews make me update faster. ;)**


	11. Champagne and First Dates

There's just something about Joshua Matthews that makes you want to... rip his freaking throat out!

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

I stared wide-eyed straight ahead at Elizabeth, sitting across from me. She looked on, amused, knowing I was reaching my breaking point.

Click. Click. I couldn't take another second.

My arm shot out, fingers curling around Joshua's before he could make one more clicking sound with that blasted pen. "Would. You. Quit it!" I hissed.

He turned to look at me. "Oh I'm sorry, princess. Is this" click " making you" click "uncomfortable." Click click click. He grinned at me while I narrowed my eyes at him._ Don't call me princess_. I snatched the thing away from him before he could even blink.

"This is my pen now!" I declared victoriously. "Totally my pen."

He simply pulled another one out of his pocket and turned back towards his notebook and laptop, resuming the clicking.

_Grr_...

"Maya" said Elizabeth, interrupting my thoughts. "Don't you need to get going?" I pulled out my phone to see what time it was. _Yikes_! "Thanks Elizabeth!" I said grabbing my stuff and rushing out.

"Maya!" Josh called as I was halfway to the door. I spun around. "Yeah?" I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, impatient to leave.

He wore a strange look on his face, both sad and guarded. "Have a great time" he finally said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks" I replied, thoroughly confused by the look he sent me. No matter. I had to go.

I ran out, but not before I overheard an exasperated "Why don't you just tell her?!" from Elizabeth to Josh.

My phone rang before I could even begin to think about what that was all about. I ran down the stairs, a huge smile lighting up my face when I saw who was calling.

"Hello best friend!" I answered.

"Hello!" said Riley. "Ready to be beautified?!"

"Yes!" I replied finally reaching the front doors to the museum, flinging them open, and running towards the subway.

* * *

Riley finished sweeping shadow over the lids of my eyes and stepped back to appraise her work. She stared at my face critically for so long that I was starting to feel self conscious. Finally she smiled and nodded. I turned around to look in the mirror.

_Wow_.

I smiled at my reflection. The flecks of gold in the eyeshadow standing out even more. I looked like me, just a little more vibrant and less sleep deprived. I was happy to have a best friend that was skilled in the art of makeup. Riley accentuated, but she never covered anyone up.

"Thank you" I said getting up to hug her. "You're welcome" she returned squeezing me back. I checked the time. Still doing good.

I moved over to my closet, taking out a simple sweater dress and some leggings, both of which belonged to Riley. They were my favorite thing to steal from her. The dress was super comfortable, but still looked nice. I had just begun to slip into my boots on when I heard the buzz from the speaker box. "Garrett" said his voice through the contraption. Tugging the rest of my right boot on along the way, I raced over. "Come on up!" I said, buzzing him in.

"Ooo. Sexy voice." said Riley, very slyly. _Wait til you see the rest of him._ A knock sounded at the door. Riley ran over to answer it before I even had a chance. The door opened to reveal Garrett, wearing a crisp white shirt and jeans. I won't lie. He left me a little speechless when I saw him.

Garrett looked thoroughly confused for a minute as he regarded Riley before looking up and spotting me behind her. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew. Thought I had the wrong apartment for a second."

He turned his attention back toward Riley. "Hi. I'm Garrett" he said sticking out his hand to shake hers. Riley, bless her soul, started giggling like her 13 year old self. I rolled my eyes and stepped forward. "This is Riley" I explained. "She's been my best friend for forever."

"Pleasure to meet you, Riley" he said, smiling at her warmly. "Same to you." She replied, shaking his hand and regaining her voice although it was shaking slightly.

"Ready to go?" I asked grabbing my keys off the hook by the door. He nodded. "Bye Riles" I hugged her before stepping out into the hallway. "Have a great time" she whispered in my ear.

Garrett extended his arm to me, to which I smiled and took, before making our way towards the elevator. Taking one more glance back at Riley, she gave me a thumbs up before the elevator doors closed and I could see her no longer.

* * *

"May I check your coat?" the hostess asked me.

"Oh." I said surprised, looking down at the thing in my arms. "Sure. Thank you" I replied meekly. She smiled and took it from me.

Garrett came to stand by my side again, just returning from speaking with the other hostess. The one that took my coat walked back up to us. "Right this way" she said smiling brightly before leading the way in. We followed.

Garrett placed his hand on the small of my back guiding me through as we passed table after table until finally reaching our own table in the corner. He motioned for me to slide in first, before joining me in the semi-circular booth. I looked around, glancing at the high-arched ceilings with a skylight in the middle and the artistic decor. This was quite possibly the most beautiful restaurant I had ever been in.

_Wow_

"You look lovely tonight" Garrett told me. I returned my gaze to his and blushed at the sincerity I saw in his eyes. "Thank you" I replied.

And so began our night of going back in forth. We spoke of our childhoods, our friends, our beliefs, a little bit of anything and everything actually. Some times the conversation flowed smoothly, other times, a little more awkwardly. First dates are always weird. It was during one of those awkward moments, that I excused myself to go to the restroom.

Turns out the restroom was downstairs, weaving through hallway after hallway following the waiter's instructions in my head. This restaurant was turning into a maze more and more. I passed a crowd situated near another dining area I hadn't even known existed.

"Hey there, pretty lady" a voice called out as I passed.

I groaned. I was so not in the mood for this. Turning to tell the person off, my eyes widened in surprise when I discovered who the voice belonged to.

"Farkle!" I cried out joyously.

I ran into his arms, nearly sending him toppling backwards onto the ground from the bar stool he was occupying. I heard a giggle next to us. I released him to see Isadora Smackle, I mean Minkus, for they had gotten married last year.

"Hi!" I said reaching out to hug her too. That's when I noticed something was different about her. I leaned back to gaze at her protruding stomach. "Are you?!" I couldn't even finish the sentence I was so excited. She started nodding frantically, positively glowing.

"Ahhhhh!" I screamed then ducked down, remembering I was in a nice restaurant. I looked around but no one was really paying attention. They both just laughed. "Congratulations!" I whispered excitedly.

"Thank you" replied Izzy, as I had been affectionately calling her for some time now. Farkle put his arm around her. They were truly the perfect picture of love and happiness.

"So what are you doing here?" asked Farkle.

I proceed to fill them in on my internship at the MOMA, being around Joshua again, and meeting Garrett.

"I liked Josh" announced Farkle. "Would like to see him again."

"Stop by some day!" I replied. "Both of you. You could see him then" Farkle nodded. "Alright. We will then."

"Great!" I hugged and congratulated them both one more time before finally finding the restroom.

* * *

As I washed my hands, a lady carrying a tray came up to me. "Free champagne?" she asked. I regarded her strangely. "You offer free champagne in the ladies room?" I asked. "Yes, we do" she answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I shrugged. "Don't mind if I do then" I said swiping a flute off her tray. I liked this place.

I hurried back to mine and Garrett's booth ready to apologize for taking so long when I noticed. Farkle had taken my spot. Two thoughts filled my head. The first was _Oh no._ The second was, _How did he know which table?_

Cautiously, I approached_. _"So what makes you think you are worthy of my dear friend, Maya" I overheard. _Oh Farkle_. To his credit, Garrett looked neither upset nor uncomfortable. He just looked slightly amused.

"I'm not" he answered "I may not have known her for long but I can tell that your dear friend, Maya, as you so put it" he added smiling "is lovely and unique, creative and caring, more so than any other woman I've met. It's simply an added bonus she's so gorgeous." He lifted his eyes to meet mine, finally noticing my approach. "I highly doubt anyone is worthy of her."

I looked down at the floor, flushed and in awe. A smile gracing my lips. No one had said such sweet words to me before.

_One other person has._

A voice in my head reminded me. Farkle turned towards me smiling, clearly satisfied with Garrett's answer. "Well I approve" he announced. I grinned in return, still overwhelmed by Garrett's words. He shook Garrett's hand before getting up. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go rejoin my wife."

It was then I noticed a spot of blonde hair over Farkle's shoulder. It seemed achingly familiar. Then the figure turned and I gasped. "Is that...?!" Farkle asked incredulously, turning and staring at the same person I was.

_Yes. It's Lucas_.

He was making his way out, with a lovely redhead on his arm. He laughed at something the woman had said, but immediately froze as soon as he noticed Farkle and me staring at him.

"What is he even doing here?" Farkle asked. I shook my head. "No clue" I answered. Lucas shook himself out of whatever trance he had been in and quickly fled towards the front door, the red head at his arm clearly confused at his sudden interest to rush out so quickly.

Farkle and I turned towards one another again, the show clearly over. He smiled, kissed my cheek, and promised to visit the museum soon, before leaving to go be with Izzy again.

"Sorry about that" I mentioned as I slid back into the booth. Garrett shrugged. "Don't be" he said. "I think it's awesome that you have such wonderful friends. I smiled. _Me too_.

"Who was that?" he asked, clearly referencing to Lucas. I shook my head. "Just a blast from the past." I replied. He didn't press the issue and for that I was very grateful.

"So tell me about Thailand" I requested just as our food arrived. He obliged.

* * *

"Thank you for tonight. I had a lovely time" I said walking next to Garrett on the sidewalk towards my apartment.

"Believe me, Maya, the pleasure was all mine" he said as we reached the steps leading to my front door.

He turned towards me and my breath caught in my throat as he slowly took a step closer to me and then another until he was just a few inches away. He reached a hand out to delicately place it on my waist before leaning forward, his lips gently brushing against my cheek, so lightly I could hardly feel them there.

I smiled as he pulled back to stare into my eyes._ Thank you for realizing I'm not quite ready to be truly kissed by you yet. _He nodded, seemingly reading my thoughts, before releasing me.

"Goodnight, Maya" he said.

"Goodnight, Garrett" I returned, smiling at him once more before turning and climbing up the steps to my building. I glanced back to see him still standing there, making sure I made it in safely before slipping inside.

"So how was it?" Riley asked as soon as I had closed my door behind me. She was sprawled out on my couch with a magazine.

"Good. A little awkward."

She shrugged. "Most first dates are." she replied.

"Yeah I know" I sat next to her and stared at the wall. She sat up when she noticed my confused look. "What is it?" she asked. Remembering her last episode, I refrained from telling her about Lucas. She was the one person I always wanted to protect.

"It's nothing" I replied, turning to her with a reassuring smile. She didn't look convinced, but didn't pry.

"So do you really like him?" she asked changing the subject. I leaned back against the couch and thought about it. "I don't know" I answered honestly. "He's kind and adventurous and definitely attractive, but I don't know."

"Well it was just the first date" she reminded me. "I have no doubt that you will figure it all out eventually."

I grinned and leaned over to hug her. "Thanks Riles." The whole time I hugged her though, I couldn't help but feel like she was referring to something else besides me and Garrett.

I just didn't know what.

**A/N: **

**So one of favorite restaurants in NYC is Beauty &amp; Essex where they do indeed serve free champagne in the ladies' room. It's spectacular. **

**Am I currently parading around Instagram looking at Joshaya pics/videos from the season finale airing next week? Maybe. ;) (Well played, writers. Well played. Nicely done)**

**So sorry it took me a little longer to update. You guys were so sweet with your reviews too. I'm going to try to update again tomorrow to make up for it. Key word there is try. I can't make any promises. **

**I wrote some future chapters. Sweet and fluffy and maybe even a little steamy future chapters. (This fic will remain a T rating though just fyi) Just thought you all would like to know. :)**


	12. Unexpected

Meetings are the worst. Surely meetings were created to kill people. In fact, I'm sure thousands have died from being forced to sit in meetings.

"Then on the 30th, we will begin gathering..." I drowned out James' voice, finding an intense fascination with my cuticles.

I usually spend this time making faces across the table at Dylan. I've discovered that Dylan is my spirit animal. Everyone is delighted about it. _Not_. I can't tell you how many priceless objects and million dollar paintings we have nearly destroyed by skipping down the hall together. Unfortunately for me, Dylan had to go pick up chairs or something for an exhibit across town with Josh.

At least there will be food soon. Dr. Nolan concludes all of our departmental meetings in one of the cafes at the museum. Sadly, this meeting was far from over.

I started twirling my pen in circles on the table, but apparently this was too loud. Elizabeth elbowed me. I turned and gave her the saddest puppy dog face I could muster, but she only mouthed "pay attention" in return. I huffed, turning around in my chair and crossing my arms.

The next twenty minutes were the longest of my life. Then I finally heard the words I had been waiting on. "And that concludes this meeting, please..." I jumped up, grabbed Elizabeth's hand, and ran to the cafe on the second floor, practically dragging her behind me. I let go as soon as we were inside. Elizabeth started rubbing her wrist. "Next time, maybe warn me, ok? I'll wear better shoes and figure out a way to keep my arm in its socket." I smiled apologetically. Kind of. Not really.

The rest of the team showed up eventually and we all took a seat around a table in the corner. "Josh is coming to join us" announced James, staring at his phone screen. "Dylan has decided to take the rest of the day off." I grinned. _Yeah, that sounds like him. _I heard James mutter a "typical" under his breath before putting his phone back in his pocket.

I browsed the menu. I wanted everything. "Are you ready to order?" Our waiter asked, handing out our drinks. "We have one more coming" James told him. "Not sure what he will want, so we'll wait for him."

"Our mystery guest will want the kale salad." I interjected. Everyone stared at me. "Oh and no dressing, just bring out some lemon" I added. "He will freak out if there's dressing" I rolled my eyes at Joshua's health food antics. The man only ate rocks and twigs. Ok not really, but it seemed like it.

Everyone was still looking at me. _What?_ Elizabeth had a small, knowing smile upon her face. James cleared his throat. "I guess we'll order now then." The waiter scrambled for a pen.

Fifteen minutes later, our food arrived just as Josh walked up to our table. James clapped him on the back. "Everything go well?"

"Yeah!" answered Josh. "Everything is downstairs and ready to go." he said taking a seat next to him.

He noticed his salad and smiled, looking up at me across the way. "Thanks Maya."

I happened to have taken a very large bite out of my cheeseburger at that moment, juices dribbling down my chin, so it took awhile to reply. He laughed the entire time I tried. I was finally able to swallow. "No problem" I replied.

_Well that's presumptuous. It could have been anyone that ordered for him._ I internally rolled my eyes before looking around the table. _Ok maybe not_.

I guess all those questions we shared back and forth were paying off. No one else at the table had known what Josh would want and they had all been working with him on a day to day basis far longer than I had. _Interesting_.

Five minutes later, Joshua's phone started to buzz. He pressed ignore. I know what that's like. Seems like my mom always wants to call me when I'm working. Thirty seconds later it buzzed again. He pressed ignore. Another thirty seconds, the same thing.

"That's it" he said laughing. "I'm turning it off." He grabbed it, but there must have been a text on there too, because he paused, eyes scanning something. Every second that passed his smile was fading until eventually he wore a panicked expression and looked as pale as a ghost. He shoved his phone towards Dr. Nolan, who read it quickly, his eyes suddenly widening. "Go" James said. "Go. Take all the time off you need."

Josh rushed out. I straightened up, suddenly concerned. Elizabeth and I exchanged worried glances. James smiled at us reassuringly, but it didn't ease my mind in the slightest, especially when he said "family emergency."

_Riley_

I scrambled out of my chair, rushing towards the hallway just outside, and frantically dialed Riley's number, hands shaking. _Pick up. Pick up!_

"It's grandpa" Riley said as soon as she answered, not even bothering to say hello. "What happened?" I asked, heart clenching.

"He had a heart attack."

I clamped my eyes shut, stomach plummeting, my heart breaking for the family I loved so dearly.

"Riley" I said, trying to be reassuring, but failing. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

I barreled into a nurse as I rushed inside the hospital, frantically asking her for directions on where to go. I ran into the waiting room. It was packed. Everyone was there, including my mom and dad.

"Hey sweetheart" said Shawn coming over and embracing me, planting a kiss on the top of my head. "Hi baby girl" said mom next, hugging me too. I squeezed back, never wanting to let go.

"Maya?" I let go of my mom to see Riley standing behind me, looking lost and afraid. I immediately pulled her into my arms. Over my shoulder, I noticed Topanga sitting next to a very in shock Amy, while Cory paced back and forth in front of them.

"What's the update?" I asked, releasing Riley.

"Still in surgery" she answered. "We don't really know anything yet."

I nodded. "He was coming to visit us" she continued, eyes watering. "Apparently he just collapsed on the sidewalk outside my parents' apartment" she choked out. I pulled her back in, rubbing her back and whispering soothing words in her ear.

I looked around the room again and noticed that someone was missing.

"Where's Josh?" I asked.

"He's out in the hallway" Shawn answered. "I think he was getting a little overwhelmed" my mom finished for him.

"Go find him" Shawn said. "I bet seeing you would help."

I didn't quite understand how seeing me versus any other person here would make him feel better but I nodded anyways. First and foremost, I made sure Riley was alright, then I stepped out into the hallway in pursuit of Josh.

I found him two hallways down, leaning against the wall. "Josh" I said tentatively, not wanting to scare him. He stood there eyes trained down at the floor, clearly trying to pull himself together. His eyes were rimmed red and he looked like he could crumble at any moment.

Eventually he lifted his gaze to meet mine, the hopelessness and despair I saw in his eyes broke my heart into a thousand pieces. Before I could even stop myself, I rushed forward, throwing my arms around his neck. He returned my embrace, wrapping his arms around my waist and clutching me to him, almost painfully, his fingers at my back grabbing onto fistfuls of my shirt. He buried his head into the crook of my shoulder and sobbed.

I pulled him as close as possible to me until there were no gaps between us, almost as if I was trying to take all of the pain he was feeling into myself.

It was Cory that found us sometime later, both of us sitting against the wall, Joshua's head leaning against my shoulder.

He crouched down in front of us. "Hey little brother." Josh didn't reply. He had been silent for a relatively long time now, and it was starting to scare me.

Cory turned his gaze towards me. "He's out of surgery. He's in recovery now" Josh picked his head up then. "It's still a little early to tell though. We just have to wait" Cory continued frowning. Josh laid his head back down on my shoulder.

"Can you make sure he gets home alright?" he asked me suddenly. I started to say yes, but Josh interrupted me. "I want to stay."

Cory reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We won't know anything until morning probably, you might as well get some sleep. Dad would want you to." Josh didn't reply, knowing Cory was right.

"Yeah" I said finally. "I'll take care of him."

"Thanks Maya. We'll let you know as soon as we know something" said Cory, squeezing my shoulder and walking off again.

We sat there another minute, his head still on my shoulder. Then I gently lifted his head away and stood up, reaching my hand down to him. He stared at it blankly.

"Uh. I'm going to need your help here." I said sheepishly. Josh had about 40 pounds of muscle on me. There was no way I could lift him up alone. He grinned slightly and took my hand, pulling himself up.

* * *

How I managed to get Josh out of the hospital, have him tell me directions to his place, get him into the subway, get him out of the subway, lead him up the stairs to his place, and obtain his key to unlock the door remains a mystery to me. It was quite the feat considering he was still barely talking and still had that blank stare upon his face.

I looked around as I dragged him inside. I had never been to his place before. His apartment was clean, modern, and very much like Josh. I sat him down on his leather sofa and he continued to stare blankly at the wall.

"Josh you're scaring me" I told him, sitting down next to him.

Nothing.

"Josh?" I placed a hand on his back rubbing gently. That seemed to snap him out of it for he finally turned towards me, but kept his eyes low.

"You wore this color at your prom." he said glancing down at my turquoise t-shirt. My hands stopped their ministrations. "What?"

"I was staying at Cory's that weekend" he explained "Your date was late. When he arrived, he didn't even make an excuse. He didn't bring a corsage for you either. I saw you throw his boutonnière in the trash behind you so he wouldn't feel bad."

"I didn't think anyone saw that." I said stunned.

"He deserved to feel bad" he continued. "I never wanted to hit someone so much before in my life" he said, smiling slightly at the memory.

"How do you remember all that?" I whispered in awe.

"Your dress was this color" he motioned towards my shirt. "It was made of silk and your hair was down. I couldn't stop staring at you." He turned his head to meet my gaze. "You really took my breath away."

I couldn't think and I couldn't look away from him. I just stared into his eyes, mesmerized. Then he looked away, breaking the spell, his eyes filling with tears once more.

"Oh Josh" I croaked, heart breaking for him even more. I pulled him towards me again, resting his head against my shoulder and holding on tighter than before. "Your dad is so strong. Everything is going to be alright."

"You don't know that."

_No. I don't._ "I have faith" I replied.

For a minute or an hour, we stayed just like that until his breath evened out and my eyes started to close. I was still holding him as I fell asleep.

**A/N**

**The whole grown men shouldn't cry stigma is so stupid. **

**I think you all are going to like the next chapter. Maybe. ;)**


	13. Feverish

The first time I woke up, it was already dark outside. I could tell by looking out my window.

I blinked. _That's not my window_.

Before I could panic, I felt a weight on top of me and memories came flooding back. My heart felt heavy again. I looked down at the sleeping Josh on my shoulder, his arms wrapped tight around my waist still. We were in the same sitting position as before except now he was shivering slightly.

"Josh, wake up" I whispered, nudging him. Nothing. "Come on, please?" He moaned and fidgeted in protest against me. I didn't blame him, I would be upset too if someone woke me up in the middle of the night, but it was time to get him to bed and for me to go home. "Come on, sit up" I said pushing him up into a more horizontal position when he opened his eyes.

He obliged, eyes opening slowly. "Any news?" he rasped. I quickly grabbed my phone, but frowned. "Nothing yet" I answered. He nodded, eyes still closed. Suddenly, he leaned forward, placing his head in his hands. "What truck hit me and why is it so freezing?" he asked, voice rocky.

"What do you mean?" I placed my phone on the coffee table and turned towards him, his shivering more evident now. _Oh no. _I Placed the back of my hand against his forehead, and just as I feared, he was burning up.

I sighed before placing both of my hands on either side of his face and forcing him to look at me. "Congratulations" I said. "You have actually worried yourself sick."

He attempted to laugh but it turned into a coughing fit. I rubbed his back gently until it subsided. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against my shoulder, his breathing labored.

"Come on" I said after a minute, getting up and reaching out my hand to him. "Let's get you to bed."

He took my offered hand and pulled himself up, but was unstable. I had to catch him before he leaned too far in the wrong direction. I put my arm around his waist to steady him as he directed me towards his room. I kicked open his bedroom door slightly to let us both through. His room was mostly bare, I noted. Not much else except for two dressers and a bed covered with white sheets and a navy blue comforter.

"You're going to stay right?" he asked as I set him on the edge of his bed. He leaned down to take off his shoes. We were both still in our work clothes."Yeah, I'm staying" I replied. I couldn't leave him like this.

It would have been nice to have a change of clothes though. I looked down at my sweater and pencil skirt. Josh seemed to read my mind. "Second drawer" he said, pointing towards his dresser. I went over and opened it, immediately relieved to find soft cotton t-shirts and gym shorts. I pulled out the smallest looking of each that I could find, knowing they would still swallow me for sure. I tossed him a shirt and some shorts as well.

"You can take my bed" he said, attempting to stand on his own. He wasn't successful. "I'll go back out to the couch."

I snorted. "Even if I was going to let you do that, I doubt you could make it in one piece" I told him, walking over and pushing him back down.

"But-" he started to protest. "I'll be fine" I interjected, looking around the room and out into the hall. "Um. Where can I change?" I asked.

He pointed towards the door. "Down the hall, second door on the right. There's an extra toothbrush in the top drawer too."

"Thanks" I said, already heading that way. "I'll be right back."

Five minutes later, I stepped out and headed back towards his room. I walked in to discover he had already changed and was already fast asleep, buried deep under his covers.

I walked to his kitchen and filled up a glass of water just in case he wanted it and carried the glass back to his bedroom. I placed it on his bedside table before leaning toward him and sweeping hair away from his face, the deep creases in his forehead softening at my touch. "Goodnight Josh" I whispered.

I walked towards the door, turning off his light on my way out. I glanced at various photos that aligned the wall on my journey down his hallway. I recognized some of them, from events and occasions we had both attended. I smiled at the memories. Some of them though were with people I didn't recognize and I briefly wondered what part these individuals played in his life.

I made it back into the living room, pulling a blanket off the back of the couch before lying down. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the couch pillow.

* * *

The second time I woke up, I knew something was wrong. I just didn't know what.

My eyes fluttered open and I stayed very still, listening, waiting.

Nothing.

I frowned and sat up, looking around the room. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I stood up and made my way towards Josh's kitchen, pulling out a glass from the shelf, and filling it with water. Leaning against his kitchen counter, I took in my surroundings again and noted the time, 2:15 am.

_Why do I have this terrible feeling?_

Before I could think further on that, I heard a crash from Joshua's room. I raced in before I had the chance to even blink. The first thing I noticed was the the lamp on the floor, clearly kicked over, but miraculously still in one piece. The second was Josh, tossing and turning like he was having a fit. I ran over and jumped on the bed, trying to grab onto his arms. He nearly kicked me in the side, so I straddled his waist.

"Josh, wake up" I tried to stay as calm as possible. I got a hold of one hand, but the other flew toward me and missed my chin by millimeters. Well so much for being calm. "Josh!" I yelled, finally catching a hold of the other one, bringing them both down and holding them against the mattress on either side of his head as his eyes snapped open.

We stared at each other for a couple seconds, both of us breathing hard and him wearing a panicked expression on his face. Upon realizing it was me, his expression softened and he relaxed against the bed, relieved that whatever he had been experiencing was over. I carefully let go of his wrists, ready to grab them again if necessary.

"Dream?" I asked, swinging my leg over to where I was now sitting beside him. He didn't answer. Instead, he closed his eyes as a shiver wracked through his body. I reached forward and felt his forehead again. Jesus, he was even warmer than before!

_No wonder. _I looked down at him in sympathy_. Poor thing is probably delirious_.

I stood up, knowing what I needed to do, years of taking care of my mom had trained me well. I turned to head towards his bathroom again, but not before a hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. I turned to look at him, his expression so sad. I smiled gently. "I'll be right back" I whispered, his hand loosening slightly, but still he held on. "I promise" I added. He gingerly loosened his grip until I could slide my fingers out of his grasp.

I ran down the hall, flinging drawer after drawer open in my pursuit. _Please have one. Please have one_. _Yes! _I grabbed the thermometer out of the bottom drawer. Next I grabbed a small hand towel and rinsed it with cold water, squeezing the excess water out before going back into Josh's room.

Josh was where I had left him, but now curled into a ball, his covers pulled tight around him. His shivers had practically turned into convulsions. I sat on the edge of the bed, placing the cold towel against his forehead while I prepped the thermometer. I shoved the thing into his mouth, probably none too gently, for his eyes screwed up at the contact. "Sorry" I muttered, waiting. Finally, it beeped and I pulled it out. 102 degrees. _Jesus!_

Suddenly, a little scared, I looked down at his shivering form. Not too high to go to the hospital, but way too high for comfort. I had to get his temperature down, but how? I placed the wet towel against his forehead. _Not enough_. I wracked my brain, thinking back and suddenly remembering what my mom had to do for me once.

_Oh, he is not going to be happy. _

I reached forward, lifting the blankets off of him. He took a sharp inhale of breath at the sudden decrease in temperature and blindly reached out for them again, grasping them tightly. His eyes were still closed. "I know, I know. Hold on" I tried to reassure him as I finally pulled them out of his grip and placed them over to the side.

Next, I reached for the bottom of his shirt, gently lifting it upwards, noting that yes, Joshua Matthews has abs._ Not the time for this, Maya! _He fought me even harder than he did with the blankets_,_ clamping his arms to his sides so I couldn't lift it any higher.

"Josh, please." I begged desperately "I have to get your fever down."

He opened his eyes to look at me, still shivering uncontrollably. Finally, he nodded. "Please don't cry" he whispered, closing his eyes again, but releasing his arms. I reached up to touch my cheek, brushing two tears away. I didn't know I had been.

With a little help from him, I pulled his shirt off. He instantly curled up. I stood quickly, whipping off my own shirt, leaving me in his shorts and my sports bra before climbing onto the bed.

I grabbed the covers, sweeping them over us both before sliding next to him. He opened his eyes to see what was going on and they immediately widened in shock for a moment. He relaxed though as he quickly noticed the added warmth the contact created. I pulled him closer until we were chest to chest, both facing each other on our sides. Just a few inches separated us. He was boiling hot against me but I knew he had to be freezing. Fevers are weird.

"Maya?" he whispered, voice strained.

"Yeah?" I picked up the wet towel behind him, draping it across the back of his neck as best I could.

"I feel like crap."

I couldn't help but smile. "I know" I said. "I'm here." I began threading my fingers through his hair.

"I'm glad" he said, tightening his grip, his fingers curving around my bare waist. I suppressed a shiver of my own at the contact. "Thought I would never have you in my arms like this." _What? _I glanced at him_. _

_Poor boy. So delirious. Doesn't even know what he's saying._

His breathing became more even as his eyes slipped closed. I could tell the exact moment that he fell asleep. I watched him for a little while, his face peaceful and slightly boyish. It reminded me of the Josh I met when I was a little girl. I grinned and stopped my ministrations against his scalp, pulling him closer and positioning his head to rest underneath my chin. He had finally stopped shaking.

He never once loosened his hold on me.

**A/N:**

**"Mine was like a shih tzu going after a chew toy." **

**Watching Girl Meets First Date. Very adorable end to the season. Is The Tell Tale Tot episode here yet? No? I have to wait? BOO! Review. Make me feel better about that. **


	14. Morning

I lifted my head and instantly regretted that decision as bright light assaulted my eyelids. I cringed, burying my face back against the strange soft yet firm pillow again. A pillow that was moving up and down slightly. _Wait. Pillows don't move._ I sprang up onto my forearms to see that my pillow was none other than Josh's chest.

_Josh. Last night. Fever. Right.._. It all came back at once. He seemed fine now, his breath slow and even, and he was no longer tense and shaky. He had thrown all of the covers off of the bed apparently for they were nowhere to be found. In fact, he seemed peaceful. A fact that made me smile.

I reached up to push the hair in his face away from his eyes. His hair was soaked which I found a little odd. I glanced down. In fact, all of him was soaking wet.

And so was I.

I was happy his fever broke. Really. And yet...

"Gross" I muttered to myself as I sat up, moving to the edge of the bed and tugging at the shorts, attempting to pull them away from where they were currently sticking against the skin of my legs. _Seriously, ew._

I glanced back at Josh's sleeping figure, very much tempted to take the pillow beside his head and whack him in the face with it. It was his fault that I was wet and gross right now. Apparently, still bearing some sympathy somewhere inside me, I resisted said temptation.

Another emotion besides sympathy was beginning to creep in. Embarrassment. Last night, I had worked on autopilot. Now, I couldn't help but be embarrassed about the fact that I had basically ripped both his and mine, well technically his too, shirts off and snuggled with him all night. Not exactly something friends do on a regular basis. _What is he going to say?_

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Well he was better and what's done is done, so there's no use in thinking about it anymore. So I pushed it out of my mind.

Instead, I looked out the window, then around the room, then back to the still very much asleep Josh. _Well, this is boring. _I stood up._ Might as well get clean. _I made my way down his hall toward his bathroom, wondering the entire way if boys even knew what conditioner was.

I had just pulled my sweater from yesterday back over my head the moment my phone started buzzing.

"Hello" I answered, putting the call on speaker as I reached for the towel to take care of my still dripping hair. It loves to retain water that's for sure.

"Grandpa's awake" said Riley. I dropped the towel. "How is he?!" I asked, bracing my hands on either side of the sink, not knowing what to anticipate.

"Weak, but he's going to be just fine" I could tell just by her voice that Riley was smiling.

"That's so great, Riles!" I was practically jumping up and down. "Hold on, let me go tell Josh. He's in the next room."

"Wait. What?! You're still with Josh?" _Oh. Right. She didn't know that. _

"Things got a little complicated so I ended up staying the night."

"WHAT?!" _I wasn't making this any better, was I?_

"I'll explain later, Riles. I have to go now!" I said hurriedly, already reaching over to end the call.

"Wait! You can't just say something like that and then -" I was going to pay later for hanging up on her. I just knew it, but I had news to deliver. I quickly finished throwing on my clothes from yesterday.

I ran to his room, impressively leaping onto the bed and landing with my knees about six inches away from his head. The startled, flustered look on his face was completely worth it.

"Good morning sleepy head!" I sing-songed. "Feeling better?" He sat up, running his hands over his face in an attempt to wake up. "Just great" he groaned, still clearly frustrated with my wake up call. He looked down, taking in his soggy self. "Gross." I smiled. _Hey! That's what I said!_

I shrugged. "Just means you're better, but yeah, don't touch me." I said wrinkling my nose at him.

The mischievous look he sent me was my warning. I sprang up. "No!" I lifted my hands up in defense and started backing away from him. He followed suit. "Come here" he said smirking. "Stay away from me!" I warned him. He was almost to me. "Come on! I just took a shower." I whined.

He just smiled and proceeded to get closer. When he was close enough, quickly and without warning, he reached out, taking hold of one of my wrists, and pulled me to him. "No! Ew! No!" I protested, pushing against him as he crushed me to his chest. The action only making us fall back onto the bed with me on top of him. He released his hold on me slightly and laughed boyishly and freely upon seeing the grumpy look on my face.

"Jerk" I said shoving his shoulder and rolling over until we were laying side by side. Then I remembered. "I have news" I told him glancing over. He eventually stopped laughing and turned his head toward me. "Your dad is awake. He is going to be fine." He just blinked at me. "Riley called" I assured him.

A slow smile eased across his face. Before I could even think, he rolled over until he was partially on top of me, and pressed his lips to my cheek softly. They lingered a second too long and I inhaled sharply. He recoiled back, equally shocked by his actions, his arms braced on either side of my head.

He stared at me. I stared back. I was becoming increasingly aware of his warmth, the fact that he still wasn't wearing a shirt, and although covered in sweat, that only made his distinct, sweet smell stronger.

Upon seeing that I wasn't about to push him away, he slowly reached up and cupped my cheek. My eyes slowly fluttered shut at the sensation of his thumb caressing my cheekbone. I felt his lips again, this time on the opposite cheek very close to the corner of my mouth. I shivered in response. I opened my eyes to notice his had darkened considerably.

My eyes widened as he leaned forwards again. "I um" He stopped, instantly snapping back to reality. "I need to go" I said, pushing against his chest to slip out from under him. I stood up and quickly fixed my skirt before heading towards the door.

"Maya, I" he sat up on the edge of his bed, facing me urgently. "I'm sorry" he said apologetically

"It's fine. I just -" I started, trying to be convincing even though I was clearly flustered and out of breath. I faced him. "I just have to go" I finished, unable to handle the intense, raw look I saw in his eyes. I raced down the hallway, grabbing my purse off the back of his couch on my way out.

"Maya!" he tried one last time. But I was already gone. The only sound that answered him was the sound of his door clicking shut.

* * *

I practically punched the button in the elevator when I made it back to my building and inside. I leaned my head against the wall as it made its ascent. I was so angry I couldn't see straight. _How dare he!_

Years. It took years for me to finally arrive at a place where I stopped analyzing Josh's behavior to see if he returned my feelings. I had given up my senior year of high school. I moved on, finally accepting that my feelings would never be returned.

So I squashed those feelings, graduated high school, went to college, and never thought about it again. But now... Tears threatened to escape, but I blinked them back. I was more confused now than I ever had been before. I hated him for making me feel like this again. D_id he know what he was doing? Was it just the moment? Was he just happy about his dad?_

I hated that all of the confusion I had experienced during my teen years was suddenly back. I'm over him. I'm fine. I'm good. I am dating someone else now! I didn't want these feelings of confusion over his actions again.

_Not again. Never again. _

The elevator doors opened and I stomped out only to see Riley at my door.

"Hey! I've been trying to call you? Now why were you -" she stopped when she noticed my pained look. "Are you ok?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

"No" I whispered looking down at the floor.

"What's wrong?" she asked. I slowly lifted my gaze to meet hers.

"Everything" I answered. She rushed over to take me into her arms as soon as the tears started flowing.

We both sat on my couch, leaning our heads back and gazing forward at the wall. I was emotionally exhausted from catching her up. She turned her head towards me. I followed suit and turned towards her. She grinned lopsidedly before reaching over and grabbing my hand. "Love you" she said.

I smiled in return. "Love you too" I replied. We both turned our heads back to continue staring at the wall.

The great thing about having a lifelong friend are those moments when they know not to ask questions, that simply listening and being present is enough. How lucky was I to have Riley Matthews in my life. I looked down at my phone to see another missed call from Josh. That makes five.

"You are going to have to talk to him eventually though" she reminded me. I sighed slipping the phone back in my pocket. "Yeah I know. Just" I paused. "Not today" I finished slowly.

I heard a knock at the door. _Please don't be him_ I thought as I headed to open it. Turns out, it was Elizabeth.

"Hi" she said, seemingly relieved to see me. "You didn't come to work today so I thought I would check on you."

_Crap!_ I remembered to call my professor at school, but calling the museum completely slipped my mind

"You're fine" Elizabeth interjected upon seeing my panicked expression. "James knows you're a family friend. I just wanted to see if you were ok." I visibly relaxed. She looked behind me. "Hello" she said to Riley who was currently peeking over the couch.

"Hello" Riley replied. "We have wine. Want to come in?" Elizabeth looked to me for permission and I swung my arm around her shoulder, leading her inside before kicking the door closed.

And that was the night Riley and Elizabeth became friends. I pushed all thoughts of Josh away. For the moment.

**A/N: So sorry for the delay! Crazy, crazy week. **

**I am totally overwhelmed with the response this story has received since the finale aired. It's both awesome and terrifying. I am thrilled and at the same time scared I'm going to let everyone down. **

**Anyways... Questions. I'm going to answer some questions I have been getting. Love them! **

**Do you update after so many reviews?** No. I update when the next chapter is ready. Sometimes even before and I have to go back and fix things. I'm trying to be better about this. But I love the reviews! Keep them coming! They help me know what I do right and what I do wrong. Plus, I like talking to people.

**Is this really your first story?** Yep!

**How old are Josh and Maya? **Maya - 22. Josh - 25

**Where did Aaron go? **You'll see**. **

**Do you know how this story will end?** Nope. This story writes itself. These characters in my head don't really listen to me.

**When will Josh and Maya get together? **No clue. Wish I did.

**Why is Maya so oblivious? **Hopefully the part in the elevator in this chapter helped answer that question.

**I like Garrett. **Not really a question, but I like the comment so hooray! I like him too. He serves a good purpose.

**Is Hanna Kritz a pseudonym? **Duh.


	15. Visiting Hours

I looked left, then right, then ran across the hallway to look from that corner's perspective.

"Wow" I looked up to see Riley who had entered the hospital behind me. "You are that scared to face him."

I scoffed. "I am not scared!" I exclaimed. Suddenly, I heard voices around the corner so I flattened myself to the wall, clamping my eyes shut too for good measure.

"Maya?" _Dang it._

I opened one eye."Hey Eric." I grinned sheepishly, relieved to see it was not who I thought it would be. Eric just gave me a weird look then turned towards Riley. "You have a strange friend, little niece" he said gesturing towards me.

"Yeah I know" replied Riley, walking forward to sling her arm around my shoulder. "But she's mine" she finished. I beamed at Eric.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Ok. Carry on." He walked down the hall away from us.

When he was out of range, Riley grabbed both of my shoulders and forced me to face her. "You do realize you are being ridiculous, right?"

I looked down at the floor. "Yeah I know" I admitted.

"What exactly are you so afraid of anyways?"

_My feelings coming back._ I pushed that particularly disturbing thought out of my head as quickly as it had entered.

"I don't know." I shrugged defeated. "You're right. I just need to talk to him."

"Yes" she replied with a mischievous glint in her eye. "You do." With that she turned and walked down the hall. I followed.

Despite my reassurance to Riley that I wasn't scared to face Josh, I still looked for him every which way as we walked down the hallway. We made it back to the waiting room I had stood in just two days ago to see Topanga and Riley's grandma walking in as well. Otherwise, the room was empty.

"Hey girls" said Topanga, moving forward to hug us both. "I am so glad to see you." She squeezed us tight before releasing us into Amy's arms. "Hi Amy", "hi grandma" Riley and I said at the exact same time, reaching out for her. "Hello my favorite girls." I noted she appeared much more at ease than the other day when I had seen her in this very room.

"Maya, it's been too long! I've missed you!" She gave the best hugs. "Thanks Amy" I answered as she released us both. She stepped toward me, placing both hands on my shoulders. "Do you like your job? Is my boy taking care of you?" My smile faltered.

_Your boy is messing with my mind. _

She must have noticed my sudden change in demeanor, for she now carried a worried expression on her face. I shook my head slightly, clearing my thoughts and plastering on a smile. "I do like my job" I reassured her. "And Josh has been great. He's been really helpful." That made her smile. "Good" she said, "I'm glad to hear it. Come here, sweetheart" she said to Riley, pulling her in for another hug.

I turned toward Topanga. "We were just in there with him" she said pointing towards his room to the hall. "Why don't you two go say hello"

Riley's phone started to ring. "I'll meet you in there" said Riley. "I need to take this."

"You sure?" I asked quickly, a little uncomfortable with going into his hospital room alone.

"Yeah! Definitely! I'll come in as soon as I'm done here" she said finally finding the phone in the bottomless pit of her purse and making her way out of the room. "Ok" I whispered to no one in particular.

Topanga gave me an nod while Amy patted me on the back encouragingly. "He would love to see you" she said. I smiled lightly at that and made my way toward the hall.

* * *

_Ok then_. I took a deep breath and started walking down towards his room. I don't think I have ever had a one on one with Alan Matthews before. I stepped into his room cautiously.

"Maya Hart." All apprehension melted away into a huge smile when I heard his voice. Also, for someone who had just undergone massive surgery, he looked really good. "Come sit with me." Alan said motioning towards the chair beside him. "Ok" I said, taking it and positioning it to where I was facing him, back turned towards the door.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Like I could use a cheeseburger" he answered. He laughed at my pointed look. "Yeah" he said. "I've been getting that look a lot." I smiled.

"You get lovelier every single time I see you" he said suddenly. I blushed crimson. "Thank you" I replied softly.

"I can understand why he won't shut up about you." he continued.

I raised my head up. "Who?" I asked, clearly confused.

"Joshua" he answered.

My heart leapt into my throat at his answer and I blushed even harder. Before I could think anymore on it though, he continued. "The last time I was in a hospital this long, it was with him."

"Did Josh break multiple bones in some stupid stunt as a teenager?" I asked lightheartedly. He laughed. "No" he answered. "Nothing like that surprisingly. It was when he was born. The boy actually hasn't been in the hospital since."

"What happened?" I asked, intrigued, sitting up taller

Alan looked straight ahead at the wall, deep in thought, almost as if he had been transported back to that particular place in time and was reliving it. "He came early" he explained. "There were complications and he caught a respiratory infection."

I shifted my chair closer, caught up in the story. I had never heard any of this.

"We were in the hospital for so long. We didn't know if he was going to make it." His eyes were filling with tears. "We almost lost him" he choked out, voice barely above a whisper. I reached forward, taking his hand in mine. He grasped it tightly.

I looked off to the side, lost in thought for a minute. "I can't imagine a world without Joshua Matthews" I said finally. I realized it was true.

"Me either" replied Alan, voice strong and steady again.

"Well that is the sweetest thing I have ever heard either of you say" said a voice from behind me. I turned around to see Josh leaning against the doorway. _How long had he been there?!_

"Then again, there would be a lot less sass in my life" said Alan. I grinned.

"Very funny" replied Josh before his eyes met mine. "Hi"

"Hi" I answered softly, unable to look away from him.

"You've been avoiding me."

I nodded. "I have."

"What did you do?!" exclaimed Alan, his voice accusatory towards Josh.

Josh lifted his hands up in surrender. "What makes you think it was my fault?!" Cue awkward stare down. I looked between the two of them. "Ok fine" Josh relented. "It was my fault."

"I figured. Now go and talk it out" Alan said waving towards the hallway.

"I don't want to leave you here by yourself" I piped up.

"He will be fine" said Riley as she strode into the room out of nowhere. "Now go talk." She shoved Josh into the hallway and then grabbed my hand, shoving me out with him before shutting the door in our faces.

"Well ok then" I muttered, still staring at the closed door. I turned towards Josh. "Where to?" I asked, suddenly nervous again. He motioned his head towards the right before walking down the hall. I followed him. He ended up leading us to the same hallway he had cried in my arms in just two days prior.

I leaned against the wall on one side of the hallway. He stood across from me, leaning against the wall on the opposite side, hands behind him, almost like he was anchoring himself there.

"I'm sorry" I interjected, before he could start. He lifted his head up to me. "I'm sorry I have been avoiding you. I'm sorry I didn't answer your calls or call you back."

He stared for a moment, jaw tense, before finally nodding. "Are you angry at me?" he asked.

"No" I replied. _Well at least not anymore_. "Just..." I paused trying to find the right word. "confused."

He nodded again, looking down at the floor. "I'm sorry" he said after a moment. "I wasn't thinking straight." My heart sunk a little at this statement, but I pushed the feeling down, not wanting to think about what it meant.

"Please know I never meant to take advantage of you or confuse you or -" I held my hand up stopping him.

"It's fine, Josh. I know you were just happy to hear about your dad. It's not a big deal" I said shrugging my shoulders

He smiled. "So are we good?" he asked. I smiled in return. "Yeah, we're good. I mean it's not like you have feelings for me or anything.

He looked back down at the floor. "Right" he answered.

"Right" I echoed.

"Yeah. Plus, I mean, you're dating someone. I respect that. I wouldn't want to get in the way of that" He was kind of rambling now. I wondered why.

"Yeah" I replied, kind of forgetting about Garrett until that moment.

"Yeah" he echoed, eyes down at the floor again. Suddenly, he straightened up, making to move towards me. "Actually, Maya I -"

"Maya!" a voice interrupted. One I had not heard in a very long time. I looked to my right and smiled so big at the person heading straight towards me. "Hi Morgan" I said, squeezing her tight when she jumped into my arms. "Hey babe. Seriously, you're a babe. You look great." she said before releasing me to hug Josh. "Hey baby brother. It's been like an hour. Missed you." Josh rolled his eyes at her.

"Dad is kicking us out. Told us to get a life and stop hovering." she announced. I snorted. _Yeah that sounds like him_. "We're all headed over to Cory's for dinner. You two coming?"

Josh shrugged then looked at me expectantly. I grinned. "Wouldn't miss it."

"Great!" Morgan exclaimed before walking away. Josh made to follow but I reached out to grab his arm, stopping him and turning him towards me. "Hey. What were you saying before?"

He looked confused for a second, then realization dawned on his face. He just shook his head slightly, grinning and looking down at me so tenderly that I forgot how to breathe for a second.

"It's not important, Maya" I shot him a disbelieving look "Or at least" he continued, cutting me off before I could begin "it's not the right time." He stared into my eyes another moment before grinning one last time and following after Morgan.

I watched him go.

**A/N: Trust me, people. No one is more frustrated with these two than me. **

**Over 100 reviews! I am blown away! Seriously makes me so happy to hear people are enjoying and relating to what I'm writing. You all are awesome. Thank you so much. Keep them coming. I absolutely adore and cherish every single one of your reactions, questions, and insights. **

**I'm going to do my very best to update again by Thursday. I'll answer more of your questions then too. Thank you again! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Let me know if you did or didn't.**


	16. Just Ignore It

There's really only one word to describe Matthews' family get togethers. Chaos.

And I loved every second of every single one of them.

I was bombarded by a chorus of greetings as soon as I opened the front door, even my mom and Shawn were there. I ran over to them, hugging both of them tight. Then I was so engrossed in speaking with them that I never even noticed when someone came up behind me.

"Hi Maya."

I turned, coming face to chest with whoever said hi to me. My eyes slowly swept up to meet the person's gaze. My jaw dropped to the floor. "Auggie?" I asked incredulously.

He grinned down at me. "Hey."

"I just saw you six months ago! How did this happen?" I still hadn't shut my mouth. It was wide open in shock. He was thirteen and at least six inches taller than me!

"Hey everyone!" Josh said, walking through the front door with Morgan. They were greeted by the same chorus of greetings. He pointed directly at me. "How did you beat me?" I shrugged. I had no idea actually.

Then he noticed Auggie. "Woah! Auggs! Slow down!" he said, stopping in his tracks in the middle of the living room and appraising the teenage boy. "You know, puberty is being much nicer to you than it was to me." he commented before clapping him on the back and walking past to help Topanga with the food.

"Uh thanks?" said Auggie. I giggled. "It's good to see you, Auggie." I pulled him into a side hug before telling my parents I was off to search for Riley.

* * *

"Impressive how we are rarely ever home anymore, but our parents refuse to change a single thing about our rooms."

"Right?!" said Riley from her closet, looking for something. "Aha!" she pulled out a long lost green hoodie. "Why is it so cold today?" she asked, shrugging it on.

"No clue" I answered, rubbing my own arms. "Here" she said throwing me a blue jacket I recognized from our high school days. I caught it. "Thanks" I pulled it on and the goosebumps on my skin instantly disappeared. "That's better" said Riley.

She turned and gazed longingly at the bay window before returning her gaze to mine and motioning over towards it. I smiled and walked over. "I've missed this" I said running my hands over the cushions as I sat down. "Me too" answered Riley.

"So how did the talk go?" she asked.

"Good" I replied. "We're good." There was a long, awkward silence.

"And?"

"And what?" I asked clearly confused. "It was just a silly mistake he made in the moment. It's nothing to stay upset about."

"Is that all?" she asked.

"What else is there? What are you wanting me to say?" I asked

She stared at the floor, contemplative. "It needs to happen naturally" she whispered under her breath, almost as if she was reminding herself.

"What?" I asked even though I had heard it loud and clear. She just shook her head. "It's nothing Maya. Just forget about it." With that she stood up. "I'm going to go back downstairs. Coming?"

"Yeah. I'm coming." I followed her out, not allowing myself to think on what she had whispered. It was just better to ignore it. So I did.

"You have something growing right there" I said to Cory, coming into the kitchen and sneaking up behind him, pointing towards his neck.

His hand shot up to grasp the skin there. "What?! Where?!" The freak out. Still the best show in town. "Right there." I pointed again. "Looks cancerous." I said, calm and collected.

The spot was pasta sauce, but it was much more fun to let the hypochondriac think what he wanted. "Ah!" he cried out, racing towards the hallway in search of a mirror. I smiled.

"Nicely done" said Josh coming up beside me. "Why thank you sir" I replied in a fake British accent because why not? Out of nowhere, my baby sister barreled straight into me, nearly knocking me over. I picked Lily up, holding her close.

"Joshie!" she cried out, noticing him beside me, scrambling to be set free. I set her down and she latched on to his leg. He peered up at me, fearful for his life again, as he should be.

I just rolled my eyes. "It's fine I guess" I said, pretending to be nonchalant.

He grinned before leaning down to tickle Lily's stomach. She burst into giggles and wriggled against him. It was adorable, I had to admit.

"Maya is ticklish too" announced Lily when he finished. My eyes widened. _You_ _little traitor_.

"Oh is she now?" replied Josh, an evil and mischievous grin upon his face. My eyes lifted to meet his, a warning evident in my gaze. _Don't even think about it. _He grinned before releasing Lily from his hold. She bounded back to my parents.

"I'll have to remember that" he simply said with a wink as he walked past. I released a breath of relief, but jumped five feet in the air when he poked my side from behind_. _I heard him laugh as he moved farther away into the crowded living room. _Ok. I should have seen that coming._

Topanga announced dinner suddenly and there was a mad rush to the kitchen. I put my arms up over my head to protect myself from the stampede.

* * *

Seeing everyone was both amazing and exhausting. I hugged Morgan a thousand times, joked with Eric about anything and everything, and made Cory uneasy about the slightest things. It was my job, after all. Now, I was currently walking down the stairs in a daze about to fall asleep on my feet even though it was only 8:30 pm. I reached the bottom of the stairs to see Josh speaking with his mom at the exit to the building.

He wrapped his mom in his arms. The sight of it made me smile from ear to ear. It was just too sweet. "Bye Maya" said Amy, noticing me and walking over to hug me next. "Bye Amy" I whispered, closing my eyes and instantly relaxing in the warmth of her embrace. I released her to notice Josh grinning at us both. She waved to us one last time before walking back up the stairs to Cory and Topanga's apartment where she was staying.

"Can I take you home?" Josh asked as soon as she had disappeared from sight.

I smiled apologetically. "I think the subway line I take home is out of your way" I pointed out. He gave me an amused look. "Who said anything about the subway?" He grinned lopsidedly before pushing open the front door and walking outside, leaving me with a confused look on my face. I followed him out, halting immediately at the sight before me of Joshua untangling a strap on an extra helmet in front of a beautiful cherry red motorcycle.

"I didn't know you had one of these?!"

"Yep. She's my baby." he replied, still working at the strap. "She?" I asked with a laugh. He stopped to look at me. "Of course. Her name is Betty."

"Betty?"_ Seriously? That was the best you could do?_

"Yes, Betty" he said, finally getting the strap undone. We both looked back as we heard the front door to Cory and Topanga's building open again. This time my parents stepped out.

"Hop on" he said, handing the helmet to me. I hesitated. "Um. Well." I looked down at myself at the fact that it was a little cold and all I had on was Riley's thin jacket. Walking would be fine, but facing the wind on a motorcycle would be a little miserable.

"Oh" said Josh finally realizing. He made a move to take off his own jacket, but before I could even protest, Shawn was at my side, handing me his leather one. "Take it. We're taking a cab home due to Lily." I looked over to see a sweet smile on my mother's face as she held a fast asleep Lily in her arms.

"You sure?" I asked.

"Absolutely" he answered. I took it, carefully sliding my arms into the sleeves. "Looks great on you, sweetheart." Shawn said, kissing my cheek and walking back over to my mom. The jacket swallowed me actually, but it was warm.

"Goodnight, baby girl!" my mom called out. I waved to her, smiling brightly. "Take good care of her, Josh!" she added. "Absolutely!" Josh answered. I turned to see him, already on the bike, arm outstretched with the helmet. I took it, placing it on my head and snapping the strap together and in place under my chin before climbing on behind him. He pulled his own helmet on.

"Ready?" he asked, revving up the engine.

"Ready" I answered, reaching forward to wrap my arms firmly around his waist. I felt him tense at the contact at first but he soon relaxed. We took off into the night.

* * *

We reached my building in record time. I swung my legs over and off the motorcycle s soon as we came to a stop. "Thank you" I said.

"No problem" he replied. I attempted to take off my helmet, but it seemed stuck. He snorted. "What did you do?" he asked amused as he whipped off his own helmet to inspect mine.

"I don't know" I answered frustrated, still pulling at the strap. He grasped my hands and gently pulled them away from the strap. "Here, I got it" he said, reaching forward. Next, I felt his fingers underneath my chin, deftly attempting to undo the strange knot that had appeared. He was so close. I watched mesmerized, his hair hanging loosely across his forehead as his eyes zoned in on his task.

The desire hit me swift and hard. I wanted to kiss him. I did. In that moment, as his soft fingertips brushed against the skin underneath my chin, all I could do was stare at his lips and think about how they would feel pressed against my own.

"There" he said, finally able to snap open the clip of the strap and pull the helmet off of my head. "You good?" he asked concerned. I must have still been gawking at him.

I immediately snapped out of it, hands reaching up to fix my hair. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm good. Um. Thank you for bringing me home." He smiled. "Anytime, Maya" he replied.

I stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do next. "Um. Ok bye" I said finally, making my way towards the steps leading to my building.

"Bye Maya" he replied, clearly amused. He grasped his helmet, sliding it back in place over his head, then reached back to secure the one I had been using in some compartment I hadn't noticed before. He waited until I reached my door before revving the motorcycle engine back to life. With one last wave, I slipped inside and he pulled out into the street.

I leaned back against the door._ Don't Maya. Don't you dare even think about it._

I immediately stood up straight, ignoring the aching longing in my chest and pushing away my turbulent thoughts. I moved towards the elevator. Even though I didn't want to admit it, I knew this was becoming more and more difficult to ignore. It wouldn't be long until I had to face it.

**So sorry it took me longer to update. I have many excuses but it still makes me sad. I don't like to keep you waiting. **

**I got a review in Spanish! Too cool! Thank you! I love seeing all the different countries this fic is being read in. It's seriously cool! Please leave reviews in your own language if you don't speak English. I will get them translated! So happy to know you all are reading. Maud from Belgium, your review made me cry. It was so sweet. Thank you! Thank you to everyone that reviewed!**

**Question Time! The first one is my favorite. By the way, if you send me a question via private message and I don't reply, please know I am not ignoring you. A lot of people ask me the same questions, so it's just easier to answer them this way.** **Here we go!**

**Can you make Garrett a jerk so I am not sad when Maya and Josh get together? **Haha! Nope. Sure can't. He's such a sweetheart in my head. Can't say much more about that. Keep reading!

**Is Dr. Tate coming back?** You bet! That storyline is definitely not over.

**Is Elizabeth going to end up with someone?** Maybe.

**What happened between Lucas and Riley? **You will find out. It's coming up. Promise.

**Review Please!**


	17. Small Scene

"Don't ever leave me again,"

"Dylan" I choked out. "I cannot breathe!" He squeezed even tighter. "Do you know how boring it is here without you? DO YOU?!" he continued. He did not receive an answer because I was about two seconds away from passing out.

"Let her go, Dylan. You're killing her."

Dylan finally looked down at my face, which I'm sure was turning an alarming shade of blue. "Oh!" he cried out before releasing his deathlike grip around me. I immediately collapsed to the ground, heaving giant gulps of air.

Once I had regained the ability to breathe normally again, mostly anyways, I looked up to see Josh kneeling in front of me. "You ok?" he asked, pressing the back of his hand to my cheek and then my forehead. What that had to do with nearly suffocating, I have no idea, but he stood up after, apparently convinced that I was fine.

He reached a hand out to me and I grasped it. He pulled me back up with ease. "Sorry Maya" said Dylan sheepishly as I was set vertical again. Josh let go of my hand. I waved Dylan off. "No big. I'm alive."

He grinned before turning towards Josh. "How's your dad, man?" he asked.

"Released this morning" he declared proudly. I smiled.

"That's so awesome" said Elizabeth coming up behind us. "I'm so glad to hear it." Dylan clapped him on the back, happy to hear the news as well.

I turned just as I heard the front doors to the museum open, a familiar figure stepping through them.

"Aaron!" I cried out.

He turned towards me and smiled, beginning to make his way over, but stopped suddenly. His smile instantly vanished at the sight of something behind me. He turned and scurried down the side hallway before I could even blink. "Aaron?" I whispered, hurt.

"I think that might be my fault."

I turned towards the source of that voice. "What?" I asked Elizabeth as tears began to fill her eyes.

"Hey. Come on let's go." Josh said, elbowing Dylan. I shot Josh a grateful look as they passed. He and Dylan walked over towards the elevator and disappeared around the corner.

"What do you mean?" I repeated concerned.

"I told him the truth." Elizabeth said, shrugging her shoulders.

"What truth?" I moved until I was standing right in front of her and waited. It didn't take long. "I told him I didn't feel the same way" she continued, blinking back tears.

"Oh" I said, hanging my head in realization. What else was there to say? I reached out my arms and pulled her in. "I never meant to hurt him" she said into my shoulder, teardrops slipping out and onto my blouse.

"I know" I said, rocking her side to side slightly. Sometimes the truth, however necessary, just sucks.

**A/N: **

**I'm sick. As in I feel like death sick and I don't know when I will feel well enough to write again sick. But it's been a lot longer than I usually go without an update and I wanted to give you guys something. Even if it is just a tiny little scene. Hope you liked it anyways. I'll be back soon. Hopefully very soon. **


	18. Encounters

It took awhile but I finally found him sitting at the desk in what used to be Dr. Tate's office, but apparently, was now his.

"Aaron?"

He looked up surprised. Without asking, I took a seat across from him. Harsh memories immediately assaulted me from sitting in this very chair not two months ago, but I pushed them away for now.

"Hi" I said, smoothing out my skirt. "Hi" he returned, an apologetic smile slowly appearing on his lips. "I'm sorry about this morning" he said. "It's good to see you."

"So this is why I haven't seen you around?" I asked, cutting to the chase.

"She told you?" he asked, eyebrows raised. I nodded. He didn't really seem surprised. He placed the papers currently resting on his lap on top of the desk and looked down contemplative. After a moment, he turned to me.

"Maya, do you know what it's like to give your all for someone, only to see nothing in return?"

I glanced down at my hands, suddenly finding them fascinating. "I do" I answered softly. Every memory of my infatuation with Josh came flooding back. Every look. Every smile. Every rejection. I swallowed hard.

"What did you do about it?"

I kept silent for a long while, pondering that question. "I guess eventually I just decided that enough was enough. I couldn't force him to have feelings for me so I forced myself to move on instead. I couldn't hope and wait for him forever."

"And did you?" he asked. "Move on, I mean. Completely?"

"Yes" I answered. _Did you really?_ I pushed that thought away.

"Honestly, though" I continued, pushing that particular thought away. "No matter how much it hurt me, I still appreciate that he was always honest about what he felt towards me." I realized then that it was true. "We're friends now and I am glad we are. I don't think we would be if I had held on to the bitterness of my feelings being unrequited."

He sat back in his chair, slightly defeated. "Elizabeth wants to stay friends."

"Would that be so bad?" I asked. "To at least have that?"

"I want to. I just don't know if I can do it. I don't know if that's possible." he explained

I nodded my head. I knew what that feeling was like. "You will get there" I promised. "If you want to."

We sat there in silence for a long while, his eyes still glued in contemplation to the desk surface. Eventually, he lifted his head to meet my gaze and grinned slightly. "Thanks Maya."

I grinned in return. "Absolutely, Aaron."

* * *

"I did a push up today!" Dylan proudly proclaimed to Josh as I entered the office. I strode in just in time to see Josh shoot him a disbelieving look.

"Well I fell down but I had to use my arms to push myself back up so it totally counts!"

_Oh my god. I love you, Dylan_.

Josh rolled his eyes as I burst out laughing. Elizabeth giggled from her place on the couch in the corner. I smiled encouragingly at her. I did my best to send her my best "I talked to him, it will all be ok' expression. She smiled back so I think she understood.

My phone started ringing before I could go over and join her. I fished it out of my back pocket, my smile growing even wider when I noticed who was calling.

"Hello" I answered grinning, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear and heading towards the hallway for privacy.

"Hello" returned Garrett. I could tell by his voice that he was smiling as well. "How are you?" he asked.

"I'm doing well. How are you?"

"I am doing very well now that I'm hearing your lovely voice" he answered. I blushed bright pink.

"So is everything alright? Dad mentioned you had some family emergency?" he asked.

"Extended family, I guess you could say." I explained. "Everything is just fine now."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah" I reassured him.

"That's good to hear."

We settled into an awkward silence, both of us still unsure how to act around one another. I twirled my hair around my finger as I waited for him to continue.

"When can I see you again?" he finally asked.

I had to bite my lip to keep from squealing.

* * *

"How have you never been bowling before?!"

Garrett paused to consider that question. "Now that I think about it, I actually have no idea."

I shook my head in disbelief before attempting to give him tips once more. "Well just throw it down the lane. Have no fear. Pretend I'm not even here." I said, with arm motions to emphasize my point. Because arm motions are fun.

He looked from me, down to the bowling ball in his hands, back to me, then towards the bowling pins down the lane. "Yeah. You're going to need to be a bit less gorgeous for that to happen."

I grinned. _Gorgeous_. "Need me to go sit back down then?" I asked. He nodded. "Yes. That might be best. Don't want to hurt anyone." he explained.I laughed the entire journey back to my chair.

"I like him" Riley said as soon as I sat down next to her.

"Me too" I answered with a smile. _I think_.

I watched as Garrett sent his ball flying down the lane and actually managed to knock a few pins down. I gave him a thumbs up and laughed at his triumphant look. It was the first time the ball had not gone straight into the gutter

"Here you go" said Daniel, returning from the concession stand. He handed me my drink. "Thank you!" I said before reaching for my purse. "How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing" he replied, sitting on the other side of Riley. "My treat."

"Are you sure?" I asked. He nodded before placing his arm around Riley's shoulder and pulling her closer. The action made Riley smile.

"Well thank you" I acquiesced.

"Wow" said Garrett, returning from his plight with the bowling pins. "You fought me a lot harder than that over the bill on our first date."

"You're right. I did." I admitted sheepishly while blushing. Riley and Daniel both laughed.

I looked up at the scoreboard now that the game was officially over and noted with a bit of pride that I had the highest score. I had at least forty points on Daniel who told us the entire way over that he was a "bowling master"' jokingly but still.

Double dates are fun. I don't know why Riley and me have never double dated before. That first one doesn't count! Neither does my prom disaster!

"We should probably get going" said Riley, interrupting my thoughts. I frowned, but agreed. "Yeah. I have about twenty negatives to print before my photography class tomorrow" I said.

"Yeah, I remember school. Almost done though, right?" asked Garrett.

"Three weeks!" I beamed. I couldn't believe graduation was so close.

"You got this" said Riley encouragingly, standing up to hug me. I met her halfway. "You got this too" I told her.

I pulled back, placing both of my hands on her shoulders. "See you on the other side, best friend." Who knew if we would be able to see each other before the end of the semester. She just smiled in return before saying goodbye and heading out the door with Daniel. "Ready to go?" asked Garrett. "Yep" I answered, pulling my bag out from under the chair.

He put his arm around me as we made our way out and began walking down the sidewalk. I let him.

* * *

"So I am not really supposed to tell you this" said Garrett as we neared my building. "But it looks like my dad is going to offer you a full time job for after you graduate."

My jaw dropped straight down to the floor. "Are you serious?!" I asked about to jump out of my skin. He nodded, just as excited as I was. "Oh my god! That's amazing!" I jumped into his arms, wrapping mine tightly around his neck. He wrapped his arms firmly around my waist in return and started swinging me around. I was still giggling when he stopped.

I leaned my head back to look at him, our faces now just inches apart. He really did have gorgeous green eyes and I noticed a patch of freckles running across his nose that I had never been close enough to notice before.

He set me down, but his arms not didn't loosen their hold around me. Mine didn't loosen either. Slowly, he started to lean forward. I smiled, leaning forward as well, ready to meet him halfway. Then, I noticed someone out of the corner of my eye.

"Josh?"

I pulled back to see him more clearly. Garrett released me and turned towards him as well. The expression on Joshua's face was equal parts shock and hurt but a second later, his face was blank. Almost.

"Sorry" Josh choked out. "I had just turned the corner and..." he tried to explain but was too in shock to properly do so. "Anyways, you left this at work, Maya." he said stepping forward. "I remember you said you had a photo project to finish tonight so I..." he trailed off. It was then I noticed he was holding my camera.

I gasped. "Thank you!" I said, rushing forward to take it from his hand. "You are a lifesaver!" I would have freaked whenever I realized it was missing.

"I'm sorry again" he said awkwardly. "I tried calling." I took my phone out of my pocket. He had indeed. Three times.

"I appreciate it. Thank you for coming all this way." I told him sincerely.

"Anytime." He looked up and nodded towards Garrett. "Good to see you, Garrett"

"You too" said Garrett, tersely, shoving both hands in his pockets.

Josh stood there awkwardly for another second. "Yeah, well, see you tomorrow." He was around the corner so fast, there was no way he could have heard me reply.

I turned back around to see Garrett staring at the space Josh had just occupied intensely. A serious expression upon his face.

"Garrett?" He shook his head, breaking out of whatever thoughts had just occupied his mind. He turned towards me with a small, affectionate smile so contagious, I just had to smile back. I moved to stand in front of him again.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, pressing a small kiss against the side of my head. "Goodnight, Maya." He held on a second longer before releasing me. "Goodnight, Garrett" I whispered in reply. With one last smile and nod in my direction, he turned to leave. I stood there and watched him go.

"Garrett!" I said rushing forward before I lost my nerve. He turned and then I was right in front of him again, pressing up on my tiptoes to place a kiss against his cheek. It was quick and I was leaning back as soon as my lips touched his skin.

"Goodnight" I said, looking down, suddenly embarrassed.

I felt a finger underneath my chin, lifting my face back up to meet his gaze. He leaned forward, pressing the tenderest of kisses against my forehead. I smiled and sighed at the sheer sweetness of the act. "Goodnight, sweet Maya."

He released my chin and I stepped back, producing one last wave in his direction before walking towards my front door and slipping inside.

He watched me the entire time, making sure I made it in safely, but I never saw the worried expression that overcame him the moment I had turned around.

**A/N: I am alive! Thanks everyone for your support and patience. I really appreciate it.**

**Now review! If you don't have an account, get one. Because I sometimes give people clues on what's coming. Seriously**.


	19. Confrontations

I leaned back in my chair and sighed. It was such a beautiful day. Perfect temperature. Perfect breeze. Perfect day to occupy the patio of this restaurant. And yet, for some reason, I couldn't keep my mind off of one Joshua Matthews and simply enjoy the scenery.

This was most likely due to the fact that I was used to seeing him practically every day and I hadn't seen him in six. I just couldn't figure it out. He was obviously coming to work. His keys and the water bottle he always carried with him were sitting on his desk each and every time I passed it, but I never could seem to catch him. Which brought me to only one conclusion.

Joshua Matthews is avoiding me. _But why?_

"What can I get you?" I jumped sky high in my chair and gaped at the waiter now in front of me. _Where had he come from?_ I quickly snapped out of it and tried to play it off, clearing my throat.

"I'll take an iced tea and the grilled cheese, please." I told the waiter, closing my menu and handing it back to him. "Oh and be sure to only use diet ice in my tea!" I added. The pen the waiter was using to write with on his notepad suddenly ceased all movement.

"Diet ice, ma'am?"

"Yes. Diet ice" I replied, face serious. I folded my hands daintily in my lap and looking up at him all innocent and naive. The waiter regarded me with one eyebrow raised and a curious but wary expression. I couldn't imagine why.

"Miss, I don't think we have -" I raised my eyebrows and fluttered my eyelashes at him. "You know what, I think we just got some in." He snapped the notepad shut and took off towards the kitchen before I could even say thank you.

"You are such a freak."

I grinned. "Thanks mom!"

I blew her a kiss across the table as I leaned back in my chair and continued to show absolutely no shame for my decisions in life. She rolled her eyes but smiled.

I sat upright when a sudden thought hit me. "Did he even get your order?" I asked, starting to stand and ready to chase the guy down because that would definitely help with his opinion of me.

Mom reached her arm out and basically pushed me back down in my chair. I frowned at the action. _Am I suddenly three years old again? _

"He did" she explained. "You were just too lost in your own little world to notice." I instantly deflated once reminded of my current situation with Josh.

"So what's on your mind, baby girl?" mom asked taking in my troubled look and scooting her chair closer to me. I sighed. There was no use in trying to keep it from her. She would just keep prying until I gave in. "I think a friend is avoiding me." I explained.

"What happened?" she asked.

"That's just it! I don't know!" I exclaimed, even throwing my hands up into the air exasperatedly for good measure. Exhausted and still thoroughly confused, I slumped down further in my chair. "I wish I could figure out what I did wrong" I whispered, lost in thought again.

From the corner of my eye, I saw my mom reach her hand across the table. She placed it gently over both of mine and squeezed. "There's a good chance you probably didn't do anything wrong." She smiled reassuringly before releasing my hand and taking a sip of her water.

"Maybe I can help you figure it out though. When was the last time you saw Joshua?"

"Last week when Garrett dropped me off."

_Wait a minute..._ "How did you know it was Josh?!" I asked amazed.

She smiled somewhat mischievously before setting her glass of water back down on the table. "Mother's intuition" she replied. Her only explanation. I raised one eyebrow at her, but decided to let it go. I will never be able to figure out how my mother is aware of absolutely everything.

"Well any advice?" I asked. She just shrugged her shoulders. "Getting to know that charming young man these last few years, I imagine he won't stay away for long. Just give him some time." She reached forward to squeeze my hands again. "In time he will come to you. I'm sure of it."

I smiled in return, considering her words, then nodded. She was right. Whatever Josh 's problem was, he was too good of a person to continue this forever. "Ok" I agreed. "Thanks mom. Sorry I turned our monthly fun lunch into this" I said, waving my arms around. She laughed.

"Oh baby girl" she said leaning forward to push a stray piece of hair behind my ear. She kept her hand on the side of my face and looked at me affectionately. "I'm happy to hear about everything in your life and I love spending time with you no matter what." She leaned forward to kiss the top of my head.

"Love you darling" she said, releasing me. I smiled. "Love you too, mom" I replied.

We both leaned back and laughed and joked throughout the rest of our meal together. Eventually though, my phone beeped signaling that my lunch break was nearly over. Me being me, I tripped over my own two feet about three times maneuvering my way off of the restaurant patio while my mom laughed at me. Eventually, I made it out and stood on the sidewalk laughing hysterically with my mom as people looked on. I love us.

I stopped to catch my breath, still leaning on her, when I saw someone sitting at a cafe across the street that took the breath out of my lungs completely, Dr. Tate. My mom followed my gaze. "Who is that baby?"

I stood up straight and turned back towards my mom. "Just someone I know" I answered. I could tell that my mom immediately sensed there was more to the story, but she simply nodded her head instead of asking more questions. I was grateful.

"I actually need to go do something really quick. Are you ok making it back to the subway alone?" I asked, glancing over at Dr Tate's table again.

"Sure" she answered immediately. I smiled, silently thanking her for understanding. With one last hug, my mom disappeared around the corner.

The second she was out of sight, I made my way over to the crosswalk before slowly crossing the street. My heart hammered in my chest. I had wanted to do this for some time and who knows if I would ever get another chance.

Dr. Tate didn't notice my approach, too engrossed in the papers before her, which upon getting closer, I saw were actually job advertisements. One stood out to me as it had the name of another impressive art museum here in the city plastered across the top of the page.

I now stood right in front of her table and inhaled a shaky breath. She finally noticed someone was blocking her sun and glanced up, her eyes widening in shock and her mouth gaping open at the realization. We stared at each other for a couple of seconds before I finally spoke.

"I forgive you," I told her.

I took in her shocked expression, her mouth opening and closing like a fish, but with no sound escaping it. I smiled gently and nodded once before turning around and heading back to work. I felt the giant weight of bitterness become less and less with every step I took. Soon I was free of it completely.

* * *

I was downstairs, painting nothing in particular on a canvas, basking in the silence and stillness before the impending storm known as homework and final projects, when suddenly there he was.

Josh grabbed a stool and planted it right next to me, jumping up and sitting down. He didn't say anything. He just sat there and stared at me.

My eyebrows rose as I stared back, but since that wasn't accomplishing anything, I turned back to my canvas and continued to paint because what else was there to do. If he wanted to talk, he was going to need to speak up first.

My lips formed a thin line as I waited. And waited. And waited. Ten minutes later...

"Ok yeah, I've been a jerk."

"Ya think?!" I said. Six days. It had been six days. I realized in that moment I was even angrier than I thought I was.

"Six days! Why? What in the world did I ever do to you?" I asked, throwing my paint brush down and facing him.

"Why?!" I repeated when he just stared at me wide-eyed. He flinched and looked off at the other side of the room. "It wasn't you. It was nothing. It was just me -", "Try again!" I interjected, not buying it. He flinched again and looked a little frightened now.

"Maya," he started cautiously, "it's not the right time -". I scoffed, standing up and walking off, tired of the inadequate excuses coming out of his mouth. I was so done.

"Maya!" I heard him get up and follow me. He caught me in the hallway, grabbing my wrist and spinning me around. "What the hell, Maya?"

"What the hell, Maya?!" I asked incredulously, stepping closer to him until only about a foot separated us. "How about 'What the hell, Josh!?' Just tell me what your problem is with me already!" I was so fed up. He stared straight at me. The saddest, most vulnerable expression suddenly crossing his face.

He looked down before shrugging his shoulders. "I can't" he said finally.

"Why?" I asked desperately. "Why Josh? I thought.." I trailed off. My eyes began filling with tears as I looked down at the floor in an effort to regain my thoughts. "All those questions we asked each other. All the time we've spent together. I just thought maybe you trusted me by now. What is there that you can't tell me?" I glanced back up, a lone tear escaping my eye. His expression immediately softened.

"Maya" he breathed out. "I -" Before he could continue, a door opened behind me, hitting me square in the back, and pushing me towards Josh. He caught me around the waist as a janitor with his headphones in stepped through the door and wandered down the hall without even a single glance in our direction. "Well that's rude" I muttered watching the guy disappear around the corner.

"Are you alright?" Josh asked, hands still resting near my hips. "Yeah. I'm fi-fine..." I had turned my head to face him again, my speech faltering as I realized how close we were, our faces just mere inches apart. I couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't concentrate on anything other than him.

His eyes flickered down to my lips and I watched mesmerized. But suddenly his hands at my waist started shaking and he swallowed audibly before clenching his eyes shut and resting his head against the wall behind him, looking almost as if he was in physical pain. My heart plummeted. _Am I that revolting to you?_

I backed away, looking down, his fingers ghosting my hips as I stepped out of his embrace. "Let me know when you get your act together, Josh."

With that, I turned and left, walking down the hallway. He didn't follow.

**A/N: Hello loves! I'll answer more questions next chapter. I'm not forgetting them. I appreciate all of you. Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. Send me a review or a message to say hello if you haven't already. **

**Hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you think! Honestly. I accept criticism with two very wide open arms. **


	20. Graduation Day

Turns out that graduating college is not as exciting as graduating high school; at least it wasn't for me. However, you still get presents and checks. Most importantly, you get checks. Yea money! Between the endless, droning speeches and the seventy five million names to call though, I was just ready to go home.

Finally the moment came, and as caps were being thrown into the air, I raced towards my family. "I'm so proud of you!" yelled my mom into my ear as she squeezed the air out of my lungs. Next was Shawn who squeezed me even tighter until my back popped in a way I know it definitely wasn't supposed to. Last but not least, my baby sister jumped on me and sent us both toppling to ground.

Basically, when all was said and done, I was congratulated into a pulp.

It took forever, but eventually Shawn was satisfied and had snapped his last picture of me. Thank goodness! As we walked towards the Matthews' residence, I practically ripped my graduation gown off of me, revealing the new baby blue sundress I bought just for today.

Upon arrival, I saw Riley ahead of me on the sidewalk, clearly just returning from her own graduation. Sadly, both were scheduled at the exact same time, so we quickly decided that if we couldn't see each other graduate, we would at least party together. We ran towards each other, screaming excitedly the entire way. I don't think I have ever hugged her as tightly before as I did in that moment. I barely noticed Cory and Topanga move forward to wrap their arms around and congratulate us both before moving to unlock the door. Still, we didn't let go of each other.

Morgan pulled Riley off of me some time later to receive her own hug from me as everyone else started to move inside. Next, was Eric who spun me around until I was dizzy. After he set me down and the world righted itself, I found myself standing in front of the last remaining sibling.

Josh had both of his hands in his pockets, unsure of what to do. Things between us had been weird ever since the hallway confrontation to say the least. Granted, we weren't avoiding each other. In fact, things between us had been pleasant. A little too pleasant. So pleasant that everyone else in the office had caught on that something was definitely wrong.

Last week, we both moved towards a door at the same time. After the fifteenth "after you", "no after you", Elizabeth finally just pushed me through it. I still have that bruise.

"Congrats" he said, breaking me out of my thoughts. I noted we were the only two still outside. He still had his hands in his pockets and was shifting his weight from one side to the other. "I can leave if you want me too" he said gesturing back behind him.

My eyes and heart softened simultaneously. This argument or whatever we were having was so stupid anyways. I quickly moved forward, wrapping my arms around his neck. For a moment, I simply breathed him in, basking in the warmth his hugs always brought as he slowly returned my embrace.

"Please don't go" I muttered into his shoulder. "I am so happy you're here and I've missed you."

He squeezed me a little tighter in response. I felt one of his hands move up into my hair, lightly caressing the back of my neck. It soothed more than anything in this world.

Someone cleared their throat behind us and we released each other to see Garrett standing there with an unreadable expression. His gaze befell to me and a slow smile graced his face. "Congratulations, Maya." he said, handing me a small box.

"I told you not to get me anything!" I exclaimed, but I smiled even brighter as I stepped away from Josh and took it from his hand. Garrett reached out and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me close, almost possessively, before pressing a kiss to the side of my head.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Josh turn his face away. "I'll see you guys upstairs" Josh said, moving towards the door. Before I could even tell him we would be there soon, the front door was clicking shut behind him. I frowned slightly.

I stepped out of Garrett's embrace to turn and face him with a childish smile. "So what did you get me?" I asked, bouncing on my heels excitedly.

"Open it and see" he said, smiling back just as widely. I tore through the paper like a child on Christmas morning. I gasped when I saw what was inside. I pulled out an early edition, maybe second or third, of The Great Gatsby, my all time favorite book. _How did he find this?!_

"Thank you. I don't know what to say." I told him in awe, still staring at the book in my hands.

I felt Garrett's fingertips underneath my chin, tilting my head up towards him. Before I could even register what was happening, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to mine. I didn't have time to react for it was over as soon as it started. My eyes slowly blinked open as he pulled away, smiling gently.

"You don't have to say anything, Maya. Congratulations." he said, dropping his fingers down to his side once more.

Smiling sweetly at him, I reached out and grabbed his hand, intertwining our fingers before pulling him along and heading towards the front door. I bit my lip and looked over at him as we ascended the stairs to Cory and Topanga's apartment. I hadn't been kissed in years. It didn't surprise me that Garrett's kiss was sweet and sincere, just like him. What did surprise me was that even after that beautiful moment and the gentle warmth that was slowly spreading across my chest, I was still completely unsure.

* * *

Topanga Matthews always did know how to throw a party.

I looked around the room at all the people I loved and held dear to my heart. Shawn, Daniel, and Garrett were talking in the corner, laughing about something or other. Ever since Garrett had come over to my parent's place and presented my mom with flowers and Shawn with a bottle of scotch, they had really hit it off.

Josh and Auggie were on the couch, talking about Auggie's crush. My mom and Lily were helping Topanga with the dishes. Morgan and Eric were throwing things at Cory. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.

Riley and I, however, were both currently propped against each other in the living room bay window. There's a good chance that we may have eaten one too many fried raviolis.

"That was incredible." Riley sighed. "I'm going to get up."

"Don't you dare!" I told her, still feeling slightly nauseous from the last time she barely moved. I was using her shoulder as a pillow. Against my wishes, she slowly peeled my head away and propped me upright. I protested the entire time.

"You two alright there?" asked Topanga as she brought over two ginger ales. Riley nodded. I just groaned. Topanga snorted as she handed me my drink and then Riley's. I might have glared at her a little as she returned to the kitchen.

After a couple sips, I started to feel better. Good thing too, because the night was far from over. Riley and I finished our drinks then looked at each other and grinned.

"Ready?" she asked already standing up.

"Ready" I answered, getting up and following her to her room.

An hour later, I was standing in front of Riley's mirror admiring the short black lace dress. It was tasteful, but still showed a fair amount of skin, particularly in the leg region, but it was also somewhat backless. I had fallen in love with this dress the moment I set eyes on it. Plus, A guy had tripped over himself as I walked out of the dressing room last week so I felt slightly powerful in it.

Now that the family party was over, it was time to go out and celebrate. A new jazz lounge had opened and I was beyond excited to try it out. Josh, Morgan, Garrett, and Daniel were currently downstairs waiting for us. Elizabeth, Aaron, Dylan, and a few friends of mine from college were planning on meeting us there. Some friends of Riley's from NYU were coming too.

"Can you zip me up?" asked Riley.

"Yeah, hold on just a second" I replied slipping my last earring into place. I walked over admiring Riley in the teal silk dress that clung to her perfectly. "Wow, Riley. Seriously wow." I told her as I finished with the zipper. I placed my hand on her shoulder as I turned her towards the mirror. "You are breathtaking." I told her. "Daniel is going to go out of his mind."

She blushed. "Thanks Maya." She then turned around and began appraising me. "Woah" she said, staring at me. She shook her head, almost as if in disbelief. Which is kind of rude if you think about it. "I have no other words. Just woah." she said.

"I'll take it" I said smiling before moving over to her bed to find my shoes. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"You girls almost ready?" I heard Josh ask through the door. I nodded at Riley, giving her permission to open it as I slipped on my last shoe. I stood slowly and wobbled slightly. Heels are so dangerous.

Riley opened the door and Josh stepped through. "Aww" he said immediately twirling her around. "You look lovely Riley."

His eyes then shifted over to me and he stood there frozen. I shifted uncomfortably, pushing a piece of freshly curled, fallen hair back behind my ear. "Do I look alright?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious. He stepped forward, snapping out of his trance, before coming to stand right in front of me.

"I write articles. Words are usually my strong suit" he laughed nervously at himself before becoming serious again and lifting his eyes from my dress to look straight into mine. "But now I am truly at a loss" he continued.

He swallowed audibly and it seemed as if I had forgotten how to breathe as I stared into his eyes and waited for his next words.

"You are gorgeous, Maya" he whispered.

I exhaled sharply, not even realizing I had been holding my breath, as his words swept over me. I couldn't control the tears that came to my eyes or the broad smile that was slowly forming on my lips.

"Thank you" I whispered in return. I vaguely noticed Riley in the background with a hand over her heart and tears in her eyes.

Josh held his arm out. I smiled brighter before slipping my arm through his. Then he turned towards Riley and offered his other arm. She grinned and stepped forward, repeating my actions on his other side.

"Well, let's get going then ladies."

**A/N: Question Time! Some of these have already been answered individually but oh well! Here we go!**

**You keep alluding to this one disastrous prom for Maya. Are we ever going to know the story there?**

Now there's a temptation! Maybe I'll write a one-shot about it! What do you think?

**Do you update on specific days or just randomly?**

Randomly. As soon as I finish a chapter.

**Did Aaron take Dr. Tate's job or did he just move into the office space?**

He's an interim for Dr. Tate right now. I don't see him as having the right degrees yet to be the head of a department.

**Can you do a chapter from Josh's POV?**

I have a very specific scene that will be in Josh's point of view. So yes, I will!

**When you say you give clues to what's coming next to those that review with an account, do you mean clues or spoilers?**

Both!

**Why did you add so many characters when it's difficult to write a plot for each one?**

Because I had no idea what I was getting into. Kidding! Kind of. Lol. We have time. This isn't a short story. Also, everything is from Maya's perspective so that makes it a lot easier.

**Will we be seeing more of Farkle?**

Yes! You'll be seeing more of everyone.

**Why is Lucas avoiding them? What did he do?**

I swear it's coming up soon! I swear it!

**Why won't Josh just tell her already?**

Basically Josh doesn't want to be a home wrecker. He thinks Maya and Garrett are more serious than they really are and Maya didn't set him straight in that hospital hallway. So it's all a huge mess!

**Will you read my story?**

Of course I will! If it's already on here. I haven't signed up to be a beta reader on here yet, but I'll look into it. Message me. Not going to give my email address out though guys.

**Sometimes you have two people talking in the same paragraph and it is confusing. Can you fix this?**

Yes! Noted! Thank you! Bring on the criticism guys. I want to fix things like this.


	21. The Jazz Club

I grasped Garrett's fingers as we weaved through the crowd. Morgan waved to us from across the room having found two round tables with pristine white table cloths near the band for us all. This place was gorgeous! The room was dimly lit with soft candles at each table, creating the perfect atmosphere. Plush velvet sofas outlined the perimeters and bright chandeliers hung from the ceiling. To our left was a huge dance floor. It felt like we had been transported back to the 1940's.

"What do you want to drink?" asked Garrett, leaning down to speak in my ear as I took a seat next to Riley at the table. The music was loud so he had to speak up.

I shrugged. "Surprise me!"

He grinned before turning and making his way toward the bar. Riley and I sat for approximately three seconds before we turned to each other and simultaneously rose up out of our seats. We came to dance!

"Wow! This place is awesome!" said Josh. He threw his jacket in a chair at the table and surveyed the place.

"Come dance with us!" ordered Riley as she grabbed her uncle's arm and pulled him toward the dance floor with us. He grabbed Aaron along the way, having just arrived too.

Upon stepping foot on the dance floor, Josh grabbed Riley's hand and twirled her twice before pulling her back toward him. He was a relatively good dancer. I was impressed. I was not so fortunate with Aaron as a partner for he had already stepped on my feet twice within the thirty seconds we had occupied this space.

"Ow!" At this rate, by the end of the night, I would no longer have feet.

"Oh gosh, sorry!" he apologized profusely again. I tried to smile reassuringly but it came out as more of a grimace. He laughed softly. "I am a hopeless cause, huh?"

"Maybe you just need some practice?" I tried to offer up to him. I wasn't going to lie to him, but I could try to be nice.

He snorted. "Yeah, ok Maya. I can take a hint."

I noticed Elizabeth walk through the front door, looking positively radiant in crimson. I waved to her excitedly. She waved back just as enthusiastically, but ceased as soon as she noticed Aaron at my side. Aaron turned in her direction and for a moment I was worried, but he immediately grinned and motioned for her to come over. She smiled in relief and began making her way through the crowd.

"Hi!" she reached out to hug me. "I am so proud of you, Maya! Congratulations!" She released me and turned to Aaron, but immediately looked uncertain.

Aaron grinned and opened up his arms to her. "Come here, friend," he said. _Friend. _I smiled_. Good for you, Aaron. _Elizabeth smiled brightly and hugged him tight.

"Don't dance with him if you want to keep your toes, Elizabeth," I warned her, face serious.

Aaron rolled his eyes at me as Elizabeth giggled. "Yeah. Whatever." he said before turning around and heading back to our tables. Unfortunately for him, we followed, making fun of him the entire way.

Two bottles of champagne greeted us upon our return. I glanced at Garrett, standing to my right. His sheepish smile was all the confirmation I needed. "Thank you," I told him, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"You're welcome," he returned with a broad smile.

A group of girls Riley invited from NYU found us. I recognized most of them as they came over. They dumped their clutches and purses on the table and immediately headed out to dance. Riley has awesome taste in friends. A red head grabbed Aaron along the way, clutching him a little too close to her side. Another girl grabbed Garrett. He looked back to see if it was alright with me. I gave him a thumbs up. Surely he should know by now that I am not the jealous type.

So it was just me and Elizabeth left alone at the table. I looked out at my friends. I had to laugh as Aaron stepped on the poor red headed girl's toes. Garrett seemed uncomfortable with a brunette on either side, but it was amusing to watch. I couldn't find Morgan at all, which I found to be a little strange, but simply shrugged it off. Riley and Josh were both headed in our direction. Riley appeared to be out of breath.

"He's hard to keep up with," admitted Riley once she arrived back at my side, plopping down in a chair and taking in large gulps of air. Josh just looked smug as he poured himself a glass of champagne.

"Your boyfriend has good taste," Josh told me as he picked up and inspected the bottle.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said, maybe a little too quickly. Josh jerked his head in my direction so quick, I am surprised he didn't hurt himself.

"What?" he asked, eyes intrigued.

"Well not yet anyway," I explained. Elizabeth and Riley were looking in between us like we were the most fascinating television show on earth.

"Wait a minute," he said confused. "In the hospital, you agreed with me that you two were dating."

"I meant dating as in going on dates," I explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We've only been on like 4 or 5. It's way too early to think about anything more."

I stared down at the table, suddenly lost thought. _Was it too early though? Or am I just in denial about something here?_

I pushed those thoughts away and returned my gaze to Josh. Something changed in his eyes just then. They flashed with something new. Something that looked a lot like hope.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," said a voice from behind us.

We all turned as Riley rushed to Daniel's side. "I'm just so glad you could make it." She looped her arm through his and then brought him over to introduce him to Elizabeth. "Daniel, this is -"

"Bethy?" he interrupted, taking a step back in shock.

I snapped my gaze towards Elizabeth, who looked like she had just seen a ghost. She was as pale as a sheet.

"Hello Danny," she whispered with a shuddering breath. They simply stared at each other while Josh, Riley, and myself looked between them. _What is this?_

"You two know each other?" Riley finally asked, curious.

Daniel and Elizabeth never even broke their gaze as Elizabeth replied. "A very, very long time ago," she explained, voice barely above a whisper. Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth snapped out of it. "Um. It's getting pretty late. I should head out," she said, grabbing her purse as quickly as she could and heading towards the exit.

"Elizabeth! Stay! You just got here." I groaned, reaching out for her. I caught her arm and she turned to me.

"I'll see you Monday," she said with a smile that did not look anywhere close to genuine. She grasped my hand, pulling it off her arm. A second later she was gone.

"Come on," said Daniel to Riley as soon as Elizabeth was out of sight. He held out his hand for her. "Dance with me and I'll explain everything." With Riley's curiosity piqued, she followed him without hesitation.

"Well that was interesting," remarked Josh as we were left alone.

"No kidding!" I agreed. I was still completely dumbfounded by the whole thing that it took me a while to notice a hand was reaching out for me. My eyes traveled from the person's fingertips, up their arm, and all the way to their eyes.

"Dance with me?" asked Josh, arm still outstretched.

"I don't think I can keep up," I joked, remembering Riley's remark. Of course, just then the music changed to a soft melody which just made Joshua's grin grow brighter.

"I think you can," he remarked, his grin transforming into a smile.

I stared at his hand for a second longer before nodding and tentatively reaching out and placing my fingers in his palm. Warm fingers enveloped mine as he turned, leading me to the dance floor

Upon finding an open spot, he turned toward me again. One hand still intertwined with mine. The other wrapped around the small of my back and pulled me closer. His distinctively sweet smell drifted over me as we began to softly sway from side to side.

"So how does it feel?" he asked. I stared at him oddly. "To be done with school," he clarified.

"It feels like freedom," I answered immediately. "Like I can go and do anything." No more tests. No more projects. James also offered me that full time job last week, so unlike the majority of my graduating class, I wasn't panicking about my future. "I think I'll start by sleeping for weeks though," I finished. Finals always killed me.

He laughed, a true genuine laugh that made me giddy and giggle in return. Or maybe it was just the sleep deprivation.

"I thought the same thing," he answered, hand tightening around my waist slightly.

I remembered. His bloodshot eyes and dark circles underneath them as he had prepared for his own college graduation. Every time I had visited Riley that week, he was there, books sprawled across Cory's table. He was shaky and anxious, constantly chewing on a pen or pencil as he pored over textbook after textbook. I remembered every single detail.

He left New York right after his graduation, moving to Europe to work for a big shot architectural firm. He moved back three years later, of course, but I didn't see him again until my senior art show, the same night he had told me to open the letter about my internship. Funny, how life brought things and people back around to you.

"Do you remember the last time we danced together?" Josh asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. I smiled softly at the floor, remembering every detail of that night too.

"How could I forget," I answered with a laugh. "My senior prom. It was the worst night of my life." I tilted my gaze back up to his to note his sad and sorrowful expression. "But you turned it all around for me," I finished. He truly had. His frown instantly vanished.

"I'm glad," he answered in a whisper.

I looked out over his shoulder at the other dancers. Suddenly, I remembered the morning after my senior prom, the same morning I had decided enough was enough and pushed him out of my heart forever. It had worked too. For the next four years, I barely thought of Joshua Matthews. But now...

As we continued to dance, ever so subtly I felt his hand at the small of my back, pulling me closer to him. Maybe it was the soft music or the overall atmosphere of this place, but as I tilted my gaze up to look into his blue eyes, I knew at that moment that I couldn't deny it for another second.

I still had feelings for him, maybe even stronger ones than before. The full frontal shock of the acknowledgment caused a strangled gasp to escape my lips.

"Maya, what is it?" he asked, pulling back, his suddenly worried eyes searching mine intensely.

He reached up to cup my cheek and took another step closer, the action of which only caused a strange sort of sob to escape me as a few lone tears fell from my eyes. It was too much. The raw concern in his eyes, his proximity, and the feel of his hand pressed to my cheek were far too overwhelming.

"Maya, what's wrong?" he tried again, voice fearful now. I shook my head and grabbed his hand that was now wiping the tears from my cheeks, pushing it away, desperate to stop the intensity his touch was creating within me.

I shook my head. "It's nothing, really," but tears continued to pour.

"Maya..." he said disbelieving. He looked as if he was about to step even closer but I started shaking my head back and forth even more vigorously.

"Please, Josh, just let it go," I requested desperately and hopelessly. "Just forget it and keep dancing with me."

He stared into my eyes for a few moments before nodding slightly, eyes still vulnerable, fearful, and worried. I nodded back, grateful, before stepping forward, wrapping both my arms around his neck and resting my chin on his shoulder. I closed my eyes, my cheek pressed against his, as he returned my embrace and we continued to sway.

I opened my eyes to see two pairs of eyes on us. First, was Riley, with a small, knowing smile. The second was Garrett, who watched us with an accepting but hurt expression.

I turned my face, burying it into Joshua's neck, not wanting either of them to see my true feelings. I tightened my arms around Joshua's shoulders slightly. He returned the gesture, tightening his arms around my waist.

I was too scared to let him know the truth, but I was too weak to let him go.

**A/N: Look out for my prom one-shot! It will be coming out before the next chapter**.


	22. Certainty

**First off, if you haven't read my prequel prom one-shot to this story, One Disenchanting Evening, go read that right now and then report back. Yea!**

* * *

I slammed into two girls in the rush of my pursuit. I had to hurry. He was nearly out of sight. My fear was suddenly confirmed when his messy blonde hair disappeared from view. _Crap! _Running down the hallway, the crowd became denser, but I continued to push through anyway.

Finally making it to the front entrance, I threw the door open to clamber out into the cool night air. The sidewalk was even more crowded than the inside of the club. I started to panic, on the verge of hyperventilating. I had to find him. I had to explain what he had just witnessed. I knew if I didn't I may lose him forever.

I glanced left then right. He could have gone either way. On a whim, I went left. I breezed around the next corner, running as fast as I could in heels. Miraculously, I spotted him about a half block in front of me.

"Garrett!" I cried out.

He stopped, but didn't turn. Strangers on the sidewalk turned to stare at me, but I couldn't care less about who witnessed my desperation right now. I slowed to a stop about ten feet away, now approaching cautiously. I noted the clenched fist at his side and the tension in his back and shoulders.

Suddenly, he turned, striding to me in less than three steps. He looped an arm around my waist, pulled me flush against him, and then...

_Oh_.

Garrett kissed me with a passion I did not expect, especially from someone as sweet and considerate as him. I could feel the heat from his arms as he wrapped them tighter around me and pulled me closer. I was so unsure before, but now I knew without a shadow of doubt.

"Wow," he whispered as he broke the kiss.

"Yeah," I said bringing my fingers up to touch my lips where his had just been. He stepped back, releasing me, a lopsided frown crossing his face.

"Nothing."

I laughed out loud, instantly relieved to know he felt the same. "Yeah. Nothing." I agreed.

"I just had to be sure," he explained, trailing off. I nodded. _Me too_. It was for the best, but it was still heartbreakingly sad. Garrett was so wonderful and he had come into my life just when I was beginning to believe men like him didn't exist

"Maybe we should try again?" he asked, tone hopeful.

"Yeah, okay," I agreed, shrugging my shoulders. I didn't see any harm in it.

He stepped toward me again. This time his kiss was slow, sweet, and gentle. It encompassed everything that Garrett was and made me feel like he was trying to savor me. I smiled against his lips just before he disconnected.

"This is so unfortunate," Garrett muttered as he dropped his forehead to rest against mine. I giggled again.

"Agreed" I whispered as I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck. We stood there with our foreheads pressed together for a long time, too long, both of us unwilling to part ways, basking in these last few moments we had together. People streamed past us like river water around rocks.

"Maybe we should try tongue?"

My head shot back, my eyes as wide as saucers and my eyebrows in danger of disappearing into my hairline as I stared at Garrett incredulously. I couldn't believe those words just came out of his mouth. He sheepishly looked down at the ground, blushing profusely.

_Eh. Why not? _I grasped the front of his shirt and deftly pulled him towards me again, sealing my lips over his. He tensed at first, no doubt in shock, but instantly relaxed and melted slightly against me as my tongue slipped past his lips and into his mouth.

He laughed at my boldness when we broke apart, but then stared into my eyes with a tenderness that made my heart melt into a puddle_. _

"Thank you," I told him as I stepped forward to give him a hug._ For being you. For making me feel beautiful. For making me feel worthy. _I tried to convey all of that as I hugged him_. _He tightened his arms around my waist immediately so I knew he understood.

"You're welcome, Maya." He released his hold and stepped back. "But you really should tell him how you feel." I moved to protest but he held up hand, laughing slightly at my antics. "Don't you think it's time to move past denial?"

I looked down at the ground. He was right. There was no use in denying it anymore. I closed my eyes, thinking back to less than fifteen minutes before, dancing with Josh and the feel of his cheek pressed so intimately to mine. _That_ was how it was supposed to feel.

I was broken out of my thoughts when Garrett stepped forward, a knowing smile on his face as he leaned forward to cup my cheek and press a gentle kiss to my forehead.

"See you around, Maya." With a nod and a wave, he turned and walked away.

As I watched him, I noticed another figure approach on the sidewalk.

"Morgan, where have you been?"

She stopped walking, finally noticing me standing there. She stared at me like a deer caught in the headlights. Then, another recognizable figure emerged from around the corner.

"Dylan?" I asked, shocked by his sudden arrival. "When did you get here?"

Morgan looked in between us, immense confusion more than apparent on her face. "Wait, you two know each other?" she asked.

I moved to answer, but was stunned into silence as I finally noticed the smudged lipstick on Morgan's face... and Dylan's. _Oh dear god. Seriously?! _Morgan may be in her 30s, but she was a knockout and on any given day could easily pass for 26. This didn't surprise me in the least, but it was still kind of gross.

"Joshua is going to kill you," I sing-songed to Dylan_. _He gave me a confused stare, but it didn't matter. He would know what I meant soon enough.

"There you are!" I heard Riley's voice call from behind me. I turned toward the sound and - speak of the devil! There he was. Josh alone trailed behind Riley at a distance. Daniel had left earlier due to an early work shift tomorrow. Josh tensed visibly upon seeing me, his eyes still worried about how we had left things from a few moments before. I had to look away as Riley came to stand next to me.

"Where's Garrett?" Riley whispered in my ear.

I just shook my head, silently informing her that I would fill her in later. Luckily for me, she got the message.

"Well, I'm beat," Riley announced. I could not have agreed more. "I'm going to flag down a cab."_ I love my best friend_, I thought as she walked off toward the street corner in search of a taxi cab willing to make the trek back to her place.

"I'll go get another one," said Josh. He made a move to follow Riley, but froze when he noticed Morgan and Dylan. I grinned before gracefully bowing out of _that _mess and heading to join Riley in the back of the cab she had successfully obtained. As hilarious as I knew the impending show was going to be, I was exhausted.

Riley held open the door for me and I slipped inside. She climbed in after me and closed the door, but not before I heard Josh's voice call, "You are a dead man! She's my sister!"

* * *

Riley and I glanced out of our own respective windows, watching the buildings pass by as the moon and the street lights of my city illuminated them. The comfortable silence lasted all of thirty seconds.

"So what was that?" she asked.

I let my head drop back against the headrest and groaned. I knew I would have to tell her sooner or later, but I had been banking on it being later. _Much _later. Oh well, the sooner she knew, the sooner I could be done with it.

So naturally, I spilled my guts, letting the story fall from of my mouth like word vomit. Words ran together and I basically stopped breathing as I condensed at least five minutes worth of talking into roughly thirty seconds. When I was done, she simply stared at me in confusion, processing it all, before a smile lit up her face. She leaned back against her own headrest looking positively giddy.

"I knew you weren't over him," was all she said.

"Well you could have told me!" I burst out. She turned her head back to face me.

"You and I both know that would not have gone well." The girl had a point.

I leaned back against my seat, defeated. She was right. It definitely would not have, but still…

"Don't look so down about it, Maya. It's not a bad thing," she muttered leaning in closer to me. As usual, she had read my mind.

"Yes it is. I'm back to where I started." Here I was again, pining after the same boy, now a man, that I knew with painstaking certainty I would never have.

"But things are so different now," she said.

It took me a moment, but I processed that. Again, she was correct. We were older now, actually knew each other, and it did appear at times that he was dropping hints of some sort, but my mind still couldn't process that after all this time, maybe I was just as stuck in Joshua Matthews' mind as he was in mine.

A million thoughts raced through my mind and I never even noticed when the cab stopped outside of Riley's place until she was opening the door and handing the driver a wad of bills. She turned to me again.

"Everything is going to work out. I just know it," she said before shutting the door and leaving me to my thoughts once more (which at this point was incredibly dangerous). However, I tried not to think about anything as the cab made the rest of the journey to my place.

* * *

I spent the rest of my weekend asleep in bed. I think I earned it. Unfortunately for me though, Monday morning came much too quickly. Still exhausted as I rose out of bed, I decided that coffee was most definitely in order if I was going to be expected to make it through the day.

After rattling off my order to the lady at the counter, I stepped over to the side to wait for my drink and almost collided with a familiar individual picking up his own drink, nearly spilling it all over him. Even disheveled and in a hurry, Josh always managed to look adorable in the morning. As much as I appreciated the sight (which I did, very much so), I couldn't help but hate him just a little bit.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Getting coffee," Josh answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "This is my favorite spot." _Oh right. He had introduced me to this place after all._

"Oh," was all I said before stepping around him. My hands were already starting to shake at his proximity. I needed to get away and quickly before he noticed, but as always, I was not that lucky.

A hand shot out to grab my wrist as I passed and it felt as if I had been struck by lightning. I gasped at the electric feeling that coursed through my veins the second his fingers touched my skin. He let go of me immediately.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" he asked, looking down at my arm in concern.

"No," I whispered, still reeling from the feeling of his fingers. His gaze shot up to meet mine and time seemed to stop. I vaguely noticed as he nodded his head, apparently convinced I was fine physically, before stepping closer.

"Maya, is everything okay? It seems like something has been bothering you ever since Saturday night."

_Yeah. You. _I swallowed audibly. It was on the tip of my tongue. I was a breath away from confessing to him.

"Maya?"

His gentle voice broke me out of my thoughts as a shiver wracked through me. _God, why did he always have to say my name so exquisitely?_

At this very moment, I was too afraid, so I deflected.

"Garrett and I ended things," I told him.

For a split second his eyes sparkled in jubilation, but I blinked and as soon as my eyes reopened, his were looking into mine with only concern.

"I'm sorry," he said.

I shrugged. "It was mutual," I explained. I added a small smile to placate him.

He stepped closer and it took everything in me not to bolt as he reached his hand up towards my face. _What is he doing?_

"Well nevertheless," he said pushing a strand of fallen hair back behind my ear. My skin sizzled at the brief touch. "I am sorry." I didn't reply. I was too mesmerized by his actions, unable to tear my gaze from his face.

"Triple shot vanilla latte for Maya!" I jumped as the barista called out my name and Josh immediately dropped his hand. He stepped back, clearing his throat to try and ease the tension, and looking very much embarrassed about what had just come over him.

"Um, see you at work?" he asked already heading towards the door. He reached out blindly for the door handle and finally succeeded in obtaining it after the third attempt.

"Yeah," I replied nodding a little too vigorously and making the situation even more awkward. Story of my life. "I'll be right there."

He nodded once and then practically jumped out the door and onto the sidewalk, scurrying off as quickly as he could. I released a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.

I took another deep breath, attempting to clear my head, and then I grabbed my drink and made my way to the exit. _You just have to make it through the day, _I whispered to myself as I closed the (five block) distance to work.

I just knew that with Josh around clouding my thoughts, that was going to be easier said than done.

**A/N: Woo! Review! **

**Thanks again to my new beta, EmilyHelene. I know what you're thinking. It's about time I got one! :p Go read her stories. Now!**

**And again, if you haven't read my prom one-shot, One Disenchanting Evening, go do that now. And review that too!**


	23. Moving Forward

"Are you trying to get me fired?!" One look at what Dylan had planned, and I was almost certain that was what would happen if I went along with it.

"Come on! It's a brilliant idea for a prank. Just say yes," Dylan coaxed.

"No," I replied immediately.

"Yes," he countered.

"No."

"You keep mispronouncing yes," he commented with a narrow-eyed looked.

I rolled my eyes in return, which resulted in Dylan shooting me the classic puppy dog look he truly believed caused anyone and everyone to do his bidding. Spoiler alert! It didn't. But a slow smile was beginning to appear on my mouth anyway.

"Okay, let's do it."

I was bored, so why not go along with whatever plan he had to get us in trouble today? No doubt there would be something else tomorrow.

Thirty minutes later, we were putting the finishing touches on James' office and I had to give Dylan some credit; it was a pretty perfect plan.

"Where did you get so many stuffed rats, anyways?" I asked squeezing one of the plush toys. I threw it into the air and caught it again and again. It was all I really could do seeing as Dylan wasn't really letting me help apply the finishing touches.

"I never reveal my sources, Maya," he replied, placing the last one on James' office chair.

Every square inch of James' office was now covered with the little toy creatures. It looked like an infestation which, of course, was the point. Apparently, our boss was terrified of them.

I considered the one remaining in my hand. There didn't really appear to be much room for it. I looked down at the thing. I had to admit, in a weird way, it was kind of cute. You know if you squint your eyes and lean your head slightly to the right.

"Can I keep this one?" I asked.

"No!" he said racing over to snatch it from my hand. "They are all precious to me." He started petting the thing like a cat. My eye roll was playful, but I considered taking a few steps back just in case Dylan wasn't as sane as I had hoped.

"Just kidding, here you go," he laughed as he tossed it back over to me. I tucked Mr. Rat under my arm for safe keeping and checked the time.

"Uh, Dylan, we need to go. His meeting finished up two minutes ago," I urged.

Dylan leaped over James' desk with surprising grace and agility before grabbing my hand and dragging me out the door, into the hallway, and around the corner where we could peek around and watch the entire show.

Dylan poked his head out first, then mine right below his, then of course, Mr. Rat, because he wanted to watch too.

James and Josh appeared less than ten seconds later, rounding the corner toward James' office. Josh was laughing at something James had said and the sight and sound of it made me melt into a little puddle right there on the carpet.

James turned to go into his office and before Josh could move even further down the hallway, a fantastic and truly feminine scream rang out. I knew Josh was strong, but he didn't waver in the slightest as James rushed back out and jumped into his arms.

Josh appeared concerned, confused, and horrified all in one as he looked from James, to James' office door, and finally to Dylan and I as we both completely lost it and fell out of our hiding spot. I had to clutch my stomach I was laughing so hard.

It took a couple of seconds, but James eventually regained control and Josh hesitantly set him down.

"Dylan!" James roared.

"Maya did it!" Dylan said, throwing me under the bus.

_Are you kidding me? _I gave Dylan my best glare, which considering how hard I was laughing at that moment, came out as a really strange looking smile. I think I scared him a little bit with it. Good.

Josh grinned slightly before heading to James' office to see what we had done. He came out with one of the widest smiles I had ever seen grace his face.

"I hardly believe that Miss Hart would do such a thing," James rebuked even though I was currently holding a stuffed rat in my hands.

I beamed at Dylan before sticking my tongue out at him. _Ha!_

"Go!" James said to Dylan alone, pointing towards his office. "Clean it up and get back to work."

I had to bring a hand up to my mouth to stifle my laughter as Dylan lowered his head like a defeated puppy and dejectedly made the trek to James' office.

Josh approached and I stood petrified. _Crap! I should have just left!_

"I'm eating lunch with Cory. Do you want to come?" he asked cautiously, noticing my uneasiness. Even though his curiosity was probably killing him, he didn't question it.

I softened and considered his request. On the one hand, I would be stuck with him for an hour or so and who knew how I could mortify myself during that time frame. On the other hand, I really missed seeing his brother.

"Sure," I answered, instantly regretting my decision. He, however, brightened instantly, clearly having expected my answer to be no. "Yeah, I'll come. Just let me grab my purse."

I made my way down the hallway towards my desk, but stopped to give Aaron a high five as we passed each other. He gave me a weird look at the stuffed rat under my arm but ultimately chose to ignore it, having grown used to my strange ways.

"You abandoned me in a club," he alleged.

I grinned. The other night, before rushing out after Garrett, I had taken time to notice Aaron still out on the dance floor surrounded by three of Riley's friends from NYU. Apparently, Josh and Riley had just left him there.

"Oh, I'm sure you were well taken care of, my friend." He blushed crimson at that comment, confirming my suspicions. No doubt Riley and Josh had abandoned him for the same reasons.

"Yeah. Well. You still should have –," he didn't even bother finishing that sentence. He just scampered away before I could embarrass him further. He was quite possibly the smartest person I knew.

I continued my journey down the hallway to grab my bag, wondering the entire time where Elizabeth could be. I hadn't seen her all day.

* * *

As soon as were through the door to the diner, I threw my arms around Cory and did not let go for a very long time.

"Hey Maya, didn't think I would see until tonight."

"What?" I asked leaning back to look at him.

"Helping you move…" he hinted.

"Really!" I said excitedly. "I mean, I just figured you would be helping Riley," I added.

"She's already moved in and settled." _Pssh. Of course. My friend the overachiever._

I guess while I had spent my entire Sunday in bed, Riley had already moved all of her stuff over. It wasn't even a question that once Riley and I were out of college we would move in together. I don't even remember talking about it, I just remember signing the lease.

"You're really going to come help me pack?" I asked. Cory nodded and my smile grew wider. _Yeah! I don't have to pack my plates myself! _If I was the one trying to delicately box them, one or more usually ended up smashed on the ground.

"We both are actually," he said nodding towards Josh. My smile fell. Josh didn't notice but Cory sure did. I tried to cover it up.

"Well thank you," I said, turning so I was also facing Josh. "I really appreciate it."

Josh gave me a small smile that made my knees shake slightly. I decided then was a good time to fall into my chair. Cory regarded me strangely as he took a seat next to me.

"Actually, I'll be right back. I think I saw a friend of mine when I walked in." Josh said before touching my shoulder briefly. I visibly flinched at the contact. He immediately retracted his hand with a frown, but said nothing as he walked to the other side of the restaurant in search of whomever.

I inhaled deeply and stared at the table for as long as I could, but Cory's stare practically forced me to lift my gaze.

"Don't," I warned.

"Maya –"

"I get enough of it from Riley. I don't need it from you too," I snapped. "Plus, you wouldn't understand." I sank down further into my chair.

We sat there for a little while in silence before he spoke up again, concern evident in his voice. "You have feelings for my brother. What about that am I not supposed to understand?"

Just hearing Cory admit it for me was enough to break the dam. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut as I did my best not to cry and keep a straight face.

"Are you going to tell him?" he continued. I shrugged. Despite my efforts, a tear trailed down my cheek.

"I think you should," Cory advised. "What are you so afraid of, Maya?" he asked.

I shrugged again before answering. "Everything. I'm scared he doesn't feel the same way. I'm scared he does. I'm scared he'll get tired of me. I'm scared because it's always been him, but we're finally friends and I don't want to ruin that. Now that he's in my life, even if it's just as a friend, the thought of losing him makes me feel sick."

I was rambling. I knew it. But I wasn't kidding when I said that I was afraid of everything.

"Maya, look at you," he said motioning to my shaking hands. I quickly put them both in my lap and hid them underneath the tablecloth. "You need to do something."

I looked down, clenching my eyes shut again, and reluctantly nodded. I knew I did. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up again at Cory.

"It's going to be alright, Maya. No matter what happens."

Riley had basically said the same thing, but something about hearing it from Cory's mouth, who had always felt like a father to me, made me really believe it.

I nodded and smiled for the first time since sitting down. I noticed Josh heading back in our direction from the corner of my eye and quickly brought up my napkin to wipe away my tears before he reached us.

"Do I look okay?" I asked Cory.

He smiled. "You look great, Maya. I promise he won't notice."

Cory was right. He didn't.

* * *

The rest of the day passed without incident. Cory, Shawn, Josh, and Riley all showed up at my college apartment around 7:30 that night to help me pack. Well, Cory, Shawn, and Josh packed. Riley and I goofed off. I don't know why they expected better of us.

I couldn't wait to cook in our kitchen. I couldn't wait to sit in our chairs. I couldn't wait to take bubble baths in our bathtub. The excitement actually made me help out a little bit. It was a miracle.

By 10:00 pm that night, it was obvious we were all exhausted, but the job was finally done. Everything was ready for the movers that were coming first thing in the morning.

Cory and Riley had left about thirty minutes before. Muttering some excuse about Topanga needing them at home. It was just me, Shawn, and Josh now. I sincerely hoped that Josh would leave before Shawn, but of course, I was never quite that lucky.

"Well, I better head out kids," said Shawn, giving me a quick hug and already moving towards the door.

_No! Stay! Don't leave me alone with him!_

But the words died on my tongue before they could even be uttered. Not that I was actually going to admit all that out loud anyway.

I watched the door close behind Shawn and the atmosphere instantly changed. I froze and stood rigid, petrified of what was to happen next. I didn't dare turn toward him.

"Maya?" I closed my eyes and I tried to regain some semblance of control as I felt rather than saw him draw nearer. _No. Please no._

I didn't need to see to know when he was now standing directly in front of me. My breathing turned shallow and I opened my eyes, but I didn't dare look into his.

He placed both of his hands on my shoulders and I instantly repelled back, but I didn't get far as I bumped into the back of the couch. There was nowhere to run now.

He shifted, obviously concerned that it had something to do with him. It did, but not in the way he probably thought.

"Maya, what is it? What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything," I whispered. _Well, not anything that you could help_. I fixed my gaze on a spot along the wall on the left side of the room. I didn't dare look anywhere near him. He moved closer to me again until only a foot separated us and I started trembling.

"Maya, you're shaking. I know something is wrong," he said reaching for my hands. I jerked them both away quickly, but it did little to deter him.

"No, Josh, I'm alright really. I just need to –" I inhaled sharply as he nudged my chin up with his thumb and forefinger.

I knew in that moment that I was doomed. He would see it any second. My worst fear was confirmed when, of their own accord, my eyes dipped down to his lips and slowly fluttered back up to meet his gaze.

Completely enthralled now, I couldn't look away as comprehension dawned in his eyes. He could see it all. He could see my shallow breathing, my vulnerability, but most of all I knew he could see the intense desire radiating from my entire body. I wanted him, only him, and now he knew it.

"Maya," he whispered tenderly, reaching up and brushing his fingertips along my cheekbone. That act alone sent shivers down my spine. I felt them everywhere.

I couldn't move as he bent down towards me, closing his eyes the second before his lips touched mine.

Any effort I put in to fight what was happening was futile, my desire overpowering any sense my head was trying and failing to talk into my heart. He slowly wrapped his arms around my waist and drew me closer, caressing my lips so gently and yet, so passionately. I was convinced that if he hadn't been holding me so tightly, my knees would give out right from under me, but I could tell that he wasn't about to let me go.

I would be lying if I said that I hadn't dreamed of this moment a thousand times before. It was hard not to, lying awake and staring at my ceiling, picturing what could be. All of those dreams, however, paled in comparison. Reality was infinitely better than anything I could have ever imagined.

Suddenly, beyond all comprehension, I was kissing him back with an intense hunger that rivaled his own. I smiled into the kiss as I felt the intense shudder that echoed through him. It put me at ease to know that I had the same effect on him. It blew my mind a little bit too, seeming to be too good to be true.

I reached up to cup his face with my hands and draw him closer to me. My hands ceased shaking the instant my fingertips touched his skin, like they knew all along that this was where they belonged.

**A/N:**

**You're welcome.**


	24. Worth It

**A/N: Some of you actually thought this story was over? Nope! Sorry for the delay though. Just returned from a much needed vacation. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for all of your reviews!**

* * *

Joshua was the first to break the kiss, pulling away to gaze into my eyes as they slowly fluttered open. We didn't say anything as we stared at each other. We didn't need to.

Against my wishes, I yawned. Josh smirked before his hands around my waist pulled me forward again. I rested my head against his shoulder and gently wrapped my arms around him in return while his fingers smoothly weaved a path through the tangled strands of my hair.

I vaguely remember him leading me over to my sofa, but I couldn't remember much after that because I almost immediately fell asleep after we sat down and I curled into him.

Now, hours later and currently sitting on the floor, I admired him as he laid fast asleep on the plush cushions of my couch. I reached forward to brush a few dark, loose strands of hair away from his eyes. He was so beautiful. I had always known that fact, but I had never seen a more peaceful look on his face before now.

Retracting my hand, I swiveled around, pulling my knees to my chest as I leaned back against the front of the sofa. There was zero chance I would be getting any more sleep, not with the current thoughts plaguing my mind. Last night had been a dream, but now it was time to wake up. Because this couldn't possibly be real.

I couldn't be here when he woke up, realized his big mistake, and walked out of my life forever. Or worse, kiss me again until my heart belonged to him alone, only for him to realize I wasn't worth it later on.

I took a shaky breath, running a hand through my hair as every horrible scenario ran through my mind. I needed to leave. I needed to leave right now.

Without even second guessing myself, I got up, slipped my shoes on, grabbed my bag, and walked out the door. It was foggy and cold outside, much colder than it should have been in May. Then again, it was five in the morning. I wrapped my sweater tighter around me as I continued my journey down the sidewalk.

I had no clue where I was going. I didn't stop to think about it. I just kept walking. Eventually the shivering in my body became uncontrollable and I knew I needed to get warm somewhere. Nothing was open since it was so early, but I eventually found a coffee shop that was just unlocking its doors to open.

I rushed inside, immediately ordering something warm from the girl behind the counter. Admiring how quick they were here, I picked up my drink just thirty seconds later, cupped it in both hands, and closed my eyes in bliss as I found a small round table near a fireplace, instantly cherishing the warmth.

I looked up just as I heard the door open and of all the people to walk through that door, it was Elizabeth. What a coincidence. She walked over to the counter to order, completely unaware of my presence. Her hair was up and she had her running gear on. I both admire and wonder at the sanity of anyone that wakes up this early to work out.

When she went to pick up her own drink, she froze as she spotted me. I produced a timid wave in her direction. She smiled in return, making her way over.

"Good morning, pretty girl," she said taking a seat next to me.

"Morning," I replied. We sipped our coffee in silence for awhile, but eventually I couldn't take it anymore. "So why weren't you at work yesterday?" I asked.

"Personal day," she answered, setting her drink down. At my curious look she frowned but decided to continue anyways. "I just didn't expect to ever see him again," she explained.

I nodded. "So what's the story there?" I asked, genuinely curious about whatever happened between her and Daniel. She looked uncomfortable and uncertain, unsure if she wanted to tell me. Eventually, however, she started speaking, apparently convinced she could trust me.

"Daniel and I grew up together in Boston. We were best friends but one day I looked over at him and saw him in a different light. Sadly, when I eventually found the courage to tell him how I felt, it turned out he didn't feel the same way. So I waited, fully convinced that some day he would change his mind." She dropped her head down, shaking it back and forth. "Stupid little girl," she scoffed at herself.

I looked down at the table in between us. _Yeah. I can definitely relate to that. _

"Anyways," she continued, shaking herself out of it. "We were friends, he kept dating girls in front of me, and it hurt like hell."

I couldn't help but think of Josh and me again at that point. Josh and I grew up in two different states and while I saw quite a few girls over the years, I couldn't imagine what it would be like to experience that all the time.

"So eventually I said enough is enough," Elizabeth continued. "It was my junior year and for the first time in my life I stopped making decisions that were only based on trying to impress him and started doing things for myself. I had always planned to go to the same college as him there in Boston, but my senior year I decided to follow my own dreams and apply out of state. Specifically, I applied to Columbia University here in New York."

Elizabeth took another sip of her drink, momentarily pausing her story. I smiled encouragingly at her to continue. I was surprised by how much closer I felt to Elizabeth now, just by listening to her story and knowing how many experiences we had in common.

"Halfway through senior year, Daniel and I were at a party dancing together and goofing off. I still don't remember exactly how it happened but suddenly right then and there he kissed me. All the feelings I had ever held for him came rushing back at once." She smiled at the memory. "I will never forget the tenderness and fascination I saw in his eyes as he pulled away from me after that first kiss," she finished in a whisper.

I reached up to touch my own lips, still tingling from Joshua's kiss even though it had been several hours.

"We were so happy, " Elizabeth continued with a small contemplative smile. "Every single day was pure bliss. Then my acceptance letter came." Her smile instantly fell as she leaned back in her chair, eyes sorrowful as she was instantly transported back to that place and time in her life. She bit her lip as she tried to find the right words to continue.

"Long story short, he begged me to stay and I asked him to come with me. Neither one of us got our wish. We broke up and never saw each other again."

"Until Saturday night," I added, looking up at her.

"Yeah," she agreed nodding, "until Saturday night." She leaned forward in her chair again. "It's weird," she continued. "I don't for a second regret moving here, and even though our relationship ended, I don't regret a single moment that we had together either. Every moment was completely worth it."

"You really believe that?" I asked. Seemed hard to believe that something that ended so horribly and abruptly would be considered worth it. Abandonment was my biggest fear after all, with as much as my dad broke me. I didn't know if I could handle that same sort of disappointment with Josh.

"I regret we didn't stay friends," she continued, "but no, I don't regret what we had. I'm glad we had that perfect little moment in time. I would regret it more if I hadn't given him a chance at all." She smiled and I knew she meant every word, although her eyes seemed a little sad. We sat there in silence for a little while after that, both lost in thought.

"I'm happy that he's happy," she said at last, breaking the silence. "I'm happy he found someone as wonderful as your friend, Riley."

I smiled and reached out a hand to cover hers. "Your story isn't over, Elizabeth. I just know it isn't. You'll be happy too," I told her. I couldn't tell if she believed me or not, but she smiled anyways and squeezed my hand in return, silently saying thank you.

I leaned back in my chair, contemplating her words as we lapsed into a comfortable silence again. Was it worth it? Was it really? Time had always been against us from the start. If I didn't take this chance now and walked away, would there be a chance again for me and Josh in the future? Would walking away now be worth missing out on all of the inevitable pain should it end terribly?

I stood up quickly, having made up my mind. Elizabeth glanced up at me in alarm.

"Thank you for telling me, Elizabeth, but I need to go," I said, grabbing my sweater off the back of the chair and shrugging it on quickly before racing towards the door.

"Um. Okay," she answered, clearly confused. "Bye," she called out, but I didn't hear and couldn't reply due to the front door already closing behind me.

* * *

I raced down the street, making it back to my place in record time. I didn't even bother with waiting for the elevator. Instead I climbed up all four flights of stairs. I definitely regretted that decision as I made it to the third flight of stairs. When I finally reached my door, I had to lean against it to catch my breath for a minute. Still breathing hard but unable to wait another second, I opened the door.

There was Josh leaning against a counter in my kitchen, clearly having just woken up and his sad eyes looking straight down at the floor. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even hear me come in. I approached cautiously, not wanting to frighten him. It wasn't until I was standing directly in front of him that he lifted his gaze.

I didn't give him time to react to my presence before stepping forward, cupping his cheeks, and pulling him towards me.

"Hi," I whispered, pulling away from the chaste kiss.

"I thought -"

"I know -"

"You're back," he whispered finally wrapping his arms around me. I kept mine looped around his neck.

"Well I do live here," I reminded him cheekily. "At least for the next hour or two."

He rolled his eyes at that comment. "You know what I mean," he said before poking me in the stomach and making me giggle.

"I'm sorry, I was scared." I told him, giggles dying down and expression suddenly serious. I reached a hand up to stroke his cheek. "But I'm not anymore," I assured him.

He smiled before grasping the hand currently resting against his cheek. "You sure?" he asked, turning his face slightly to press a delicate kiss to my palm. The gesture so achingly sweet that I'm unsure as to how I was able to remain standing.

I stepped forward and onto my tip toes until our noses were barely brushing.

"I'm sure," I whispered just before closing the distance between us. This kiss was different from the one we had shared last night. It was sweet and slow and full of promise. As we pulled each other closer, I felt like we could handle anything that came our way.


	25. What I Want

Sitting at the conference table for our weekly team meeting, I was moderately engrossed in what James was saying. Okay, so that was a complete lie. Really, I was trying, but something kept stealing my focus. In reality, I was feigning attention and staring somewhat blankly at James' head, out the window, and at anything really except for the sexy as hell smirk on Joshua Matthews' face that was directed straight at me.

In all honesty, it didn't really matter that I wasn't looking at him. I could feel his stare as if it was heating my whole body from the inside out. I took a shaky breath, and I just knew that action made his smirk grow even wider. He was well aware of the effect he was having on me and he had absolutely no intention of letting up. I should have figured.

I looked over to shoot him a glare, signalling for him to cut it out, which of course turned out to do more harm than good as I was now looking directly at that devilishly handsome face of his. What had begun as just a temptation had long since become a legimitate issue; now I felt like if I didn't kiss him in the next thirty seconds, I would combust.

As if fate was on my side, James gave a few closing words and adjourned the meeting immediately afterward. Our eyes locked and the contact didn't break as we gathered up our respective pens and notebooks. Just when I thought I was home free, Elizabeth approached me to talk about event coordinators for the upcoming MOMA Garden Party, because that was, of course, a pressing issue as it was happening in less than two weeks. I loved Elizabeth, truly I did, but at the present moment there was only one person whose attention I craved. How could I have ever thought that fate was on my side?

I tried to focus on what Elizabeth was saying, but out of the the corner of my eye I saw Josh approach us on his way out the door. His knuckles just barely grazed mine as he passed and holy crap! I had to bite my lip and close my eyes to keep myself from turning around and jumping him right then and there. I really needed to get a grip on this whole becoming completely unhinged when we were in the same room thing.

"Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked, voice full of confusion. I snapped back to reality, noticing for the first time that we were indeed the only ones left in the room.

"Oh yeah. Fine," I answered, rolling my shoulders back. "What were you saying again?"

"I asked what you were packing for the Hamptons." she replied looking from me to the door.

"We're going to the Hamptons?" _Am_ _I missing something here? _

"Yeah, this coming weekend. Some sort of team building retreat," she said, returning her gaze to me. "Do you listen to anything during the meetings?" she asked.

"Uh. Well. No. Not really," At least I was being honest.

"You do seem a little more preoccupied than usual though," she commented, her eyes once again going from me to the empty doorway. "And what was that with all the looks between you and-wait" she gave me a questioning look. "Does this mean..?" she triailed off, but I knew exactly where her train of thought was going. I was caught and there was no way I was talking myself out of this one. Her face lit up as I nodded slowly, feeling a blush creep its way across my cheeks. "Well it's about time." I had expected a never-ending stream of questions, but that was her only comment. Elizabeth looked positively smug that she had figured it out.

"You knew?" I asked, panic rising in my chest.

"Oh yeah. Everyone knew." she replied, as if this was common knowledge which only succeeded in sending my already overzealous panic into overdrive. "Okay, everyone knew how Josh felt," she clarified. "You," she said pointing a finger at me, "well you were a little bit harder to figure out," she finished with a smile.

I looked down at the floor, smiling too.

"Ladies!" said Dylan, poking his head back into the conference room. "We're all waiting on you."

Ah, yes, the traditional staff lunch together after meetings. How could I forget? Elizabeth put her arm around me as she led me out and we followed Dylan down the hallway.

* * *

I didn't end up seeing Josh at our staff lunch, or for the rest of the day for that matter. He had sent me a text message saying he had to run a couple errands for James. It was two hours later as I was sitting on the floor looking at photos of contemporary paintings with Elizabeth before I realized how much I missed him already. I'd be lying if I said it didn't take me by surprise.

5 o'clock came and went. Everyone else went home, but there I was sitting on top of Joshua's desk waiting for him. His keys were here, so I knew he would be back eventually. Sitting with my legs crossed, I perused the various articles on top of his desk. A few sketches in particular caught my eye.

I picked one up. It appeared to be an architectural sketch of a house, but I couldn't be entirely sure. I was so engrossed in its meticulous details that I didn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching.

"I was hoping you would still be here." Josh said from the doorway. I looked up at the sound of his voice and he met my gaze with a warm smile. "Hi," he said as he walked over to join me. I set the paper down, jumped off his desk, and smiled as he reached me and pulled me toward him.

"Hi," I said shyly. For some reason, I had picked that day to wear heels, so it ended up being a lot easier for me to bury my face in his neck. I sighed, unable to fully comprehend the utter state of bliss his nearness brought to me. I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of him and he buried his face in my hair.

When we finally broke apart, my gaze shifted to the sketches on his desk, reminding me of them. "What are these?" I asked, gesturing toward them.

"Oh, just some things I work on in my spare time," he answered with a shrug, moving around to shove them both into his top drawer. My hand stopped him. "It's more of a hobby than anything," he said.

"Don't put them away. They're beautiful and important to you. Don't try to make them less than what they are." I grabbed one from his hand. He looked slightly uncomfortable with me looking at it, but at least he didn't try to take it away this time.

"It's a house, isn't it?" I asked.

He nodded, moving around to stand next to me again. "It's what I would like to build some day."

"For yourself?" I asked, still mesmerized by what I was holding. The detail was astonishing.

"I'd build it for anyone really," he shrugged. "I just want it to exist some day."

I handed it back to him. "It looks wonderful. I think. I don't really understand what it all means, you know, the symbols, dimensions, and everything," I admitted with a blush. He looked down and smiled at me.

"I guess I will just have to teach you then," he said as he repositioned himself behind me, encasing me between his arms so he could more easily hold the drawing in front of me.

I leaned back against his chest as he explained the different symbols and pointed out the different aspects that made his design unique. I could hear the excitement in his voice as he talked and it made me feel so unbelievably happy and privileged that he was sharing this part of himself with me.

"I was right," I said as he finished and set the paper down on the desk behind him. "It is wonderful."

I smiled as he moved behind me again and wrapped his arms around my waist. I looked up at him. He turned his face towards me, the air suddenly turning electric as our faces were now only mere inches apart. "Thank you," he said before slowly leaning down to kiss me. As nice as it felt, the fact that my back still being pressed against his chest made it slightly more awkward than it should have been. I turned, sliding my hands up his chest, around his neck, and burying them in his hair.

"Can I take you to dinner?" he asked a little bit later, resting his forehead against mine.

"Actually, your brother's family, Shawn, my mom, and my sister are coming over for dinner. Something about wanting to celebrate Riley and mine's first apartment or something? I'm not too sure," I answered with a shrug, pulling my head back slightly to gaze at him.

"Convenient how you had to go to work and leave Shawn to do all of your unpacking," he commented with a knowing smile.

I grinned. "You do know you're invited, right?" I asked, deflecting his comment and trailing a single finger down the side of his face. He shuddered at my touch and though I felt bad for teasing him, I also couldn't help myself.

"Yeah, I know. I'm there," he answered as if his being there wasn't even a question, before pulling me close again. His eyes turned serious, but his hands were trailing up and down my back so I knew it couldn't be anything to be nervous about. "Look, I know you said you weren't afraid anymore, but I still think we need to talk…"

"About what?" I asked, treading carefully. If I had learned anything about relationships, it was that we need to talk was almost never good.

"Well, about what you want…what this is, what you want me to be to you, you know," he listed off.

I looked over to the right and nodded as I mulled his questions over in my head. What _did _I want? "What do you want?" I asked before answering, not because I felt insecure in what I felt, but because I genuinely needed to know.

"You," he simply answered. "I have wanted you for a long time, Maya."

I lifted my gaze back to meet his, hoping he couldn't feel how fast my heart was beating underneath my shirt. "How long exactly?" I asked, genuinely surprised. I had assumed this was all brand new to him, that I had been the only one waiting.

"I wish I could say exactly," he said reaching a hand to scratch the back of his head as he contemplated my question. "I do know I finally admitted it to myself my sophomore year of college," he answered with a shrug.

"Really?" I asked, unable to hide the schoolgirl smile that I could feel stretching across my face.

"Are you kidding? You grew too beautiful and wonderful to ignore," he replied as he brushed a few fallen strands back behind my ear. I nuzzled my face against his hand as he tried to pull it away. He got the message and left it resting on my cheek. "You still are."

I felt stupid, but my eyes were already welling up, overcome with emotion. I could feel some of them begin to spill over, trailing down my cheeks. I moved my hand up to brush them away, but he beat me to it, wiping them away with the pad of his thumb.

"What is it?" he asked, worried that he had said something wrong. I shook my head.

"I don't think I have ever been as happy as I am right now," I answered truthfully. He smiled down at me. The tenderness in his eyes was overwhelming, but I stepped closer, winding my fingers through his hair as I rested my forehead against his again.

"It's always been you, Josh. Always," I whispered. "I'm in it for the long game," I said, wondering if he remembered the first time I had said those words to him. I had meant them as much back then as I did now.

"Me too," he whispered just before leaning down to capture my lips with his.

Needless to say, we were late for dinner.

**A/N: **

**Sorry for the delay! I've actually started working on something else. Something I think all of you will really like. I hope. **

**For all of you that keep asking if this story is over, well it's not over until I say it's over people! And it's not over!**


	26. Joshua's Turn

"Josh, are you even listening to anything we say?" asked Cory, closing in on me from my left. I didn't look his way, though. Instead, I stared aimlessly at the floor, willing it to be more interesting than the conversation I wanted to avoid having.

"Unfortunately, yes. I am," I answered without even glancing up. I was unbelievably bored.

"Because, it's very important that you understand what is at stake here," said Shawn, who was to my right. As soon as Maya and I broke the news to everyone, after the endless hugs and "I told you so's," Cory and Shawn almost immediately motioned me over to where they were seated on the couch. The only available spot was in between them and that's when I knew what I was in for.

Shawn leaned toward me a little too closely, the purpose of which was to come off as more intimidating. "So again, if you ever hurt her, if you ever even look at her the wrong way, if you ever-" A yawn escaped my lips, and I sighed. "Did you just yawn?!"

"Sorry," I replied, closing my mouth and resuming my staring match with the floor. It was obvious they had been planning this clearly rehearsed speech for awhile now, but they knew me, knew her, and knew I will take care of her rendering this entire conversation pointless.

"Unbelievable. Cory, he isn't even taking us seriously," Shawn said, throwing his hands up in the air, frustration clearly evident in his tone.

Cory sat back, contemplating the situation. Even I could admit, he was in an awkward position trying to make sure neither his little brother nor his (basically) adopted daughter got hurt. Eventually coming up with a solution, he leaned forward again.

"Maya, perhaps this would work out better for us if you left us alone with Josh," my brother suggested. "Just for a moment," he quickly added upon sensing her hesitation.

"I'm good," replied the gorgeous blonde who was currently snuggled up against my side, arms wrapped tight around me. I grinned at her reply as I continued to rub tiny, soothing circles against her shoulder. Seeing her face light up tugged at my heart in a way that made me feel ridiculously soft, but I was so past the point of caring. She refused to leave me alone with Cory and Shawn. It seemed that we were making up for lost time, having not seen each other most of today. I didn't mind in the slightest.

However, I could sense that now both Cory and Shawn were frustrated at having their plans thwarted by Maya and I, so I decided to go ahead and give them the moment they so desperately wanted. I turned my head down slightly, gently nudging Maya's temple with my nose. She took the hint and slowly lifted her head to look up at me.

"Maybe just give us five minutes?" I suggested, reaching forward to brush away that lone strand of hair that never wanted to stay put behind her ear.

She closed her eyes briefly at the touch before nodding. I had to suppress a groan at the sight of her nibbling gently on her bottom lip. She opened her eyes and smiled knowingly. Fully aware of what she was doing to me, she imperceptibly leaned closer, our faces just centimeters apart, before pushing herself up and heading towards Riley.

_Minx_.

I leaned back, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath in an attempt to clear my head of blonde hair, petal soft lips, and sea blue eyes that I never got tired of looking at. She was going to be the death of me. I just knew it.

I opened my eyes to see identical grins. I looked between the two, first Shawn, then Cory. "Shut up," I told them both.

"We didn't say anything," commented Shawn, his expression unchanging.

"Yeah. You didn't have to," I answered before jumping forward to sit on the edge of the couch. "Alright, let's get this over with." I clapped my hands together, ready to take on whatever they had to dish out, and dish it out they did.

To Cory and Shawn's triumph, I think I physically flinched a couple times. However, near the end when the threats turned ridiculous, I couldn't help but laugh.

"You two satisfied now?" I asked later, wiping a few tears away from laughing so hard.

"Yeah we're done. Thanks for playing along. We had been waiting a long time to do that," answered Shawn.

"Yeah," answered Cory, clapping me on the back. "Thanks for being a good sport." With that comment, he got off the couch, Shawn following after him. I got up and headed towards the kitchen, making sure to wink in Maya's direction as I passed. The answering blush that graced her cheeks gave me more satisfaction than she will ever know.

I strolled into the kitchen, ready to grab every piece of celery that was left when I noticed my sister-in-law flitting her head from shelf to shelf in the refrigerator in some sort of desperate search.

"What are you looking for?" I asked Topanga, amused.

"Oh, hey Josh," she said turning around and smiling before facing the fridge once more.

"I could have sworn I brought the girls a pan of my brownies, but I guess I left them at home," she answered with a nonchalant shrug, but I could tell this discovery made her uneasy.

"It's just that I made them especially for tonight," she said sadly. She wasn't the only one that was sad. Topanga's brownies were the best and she didn't make them just for anyone.

"I'll just go grab them real quick," she declared making up her mind and already heading toward the door, before I blocked her way. I held out a hand to stop her before she could pass me. She didn't have to go far, only a couple of blocks, but there was still no way I was letting her do this.

"It's almost 10 and you've had a long day, let me go get them," I told her. "It's really no big deal."

"Really, you would do that?" she asked beaming, already moving toward her bag to grab the key.

I shrugged. "Yeah, absolutely," I replied as she laid the key in my palm. "Be right back."

I approached Maya, whose back was turned to me as she was engrossed in some story Riley was telling. Before either of them were really aware of my presence, I wrapped an arm around Maya's waist, pulling her back against my chest as I leaned my head around to press my lips to her cheek.

"I'll be right back," I pulled back to whisper in her ear.

"Where are you going?" she asked, eyes worried as she glanced up at me. I smiled reassuringly.

"It's a secret," I told her with a grin. "But I really will be right back," I said before kissing her cheek again. This action seemed to placate her, as she was smiling again when I pulled away.

"Niece," I acknowledged Riley who was smiling at us both like an idiot. "Sorry to interrupt."

"Uncle," she shot back. "You're forgiven," she said as I untangled my arm from around Maya and started towards the door.

There was another reason why I volunteered for this particular errand. Walking down New York streets at night was probably my absolute favourite thing to do since I'd moved. I was almost disappointed when just ten minutes later, I had arrived at my destination.

Walking down the steps from my brother's place, brownies in hand, a familiar sight stopped me dead in my tracks. Well, not so much a familiar sight as a familiar someone.

There, across the street from me, was the one and only Lucas Friar. It had been almost four years since I had last seen him.

_When did he move back?_

Every part of me froze. I was unable to move or think, all I could do was stare slack jawed. All I could do was stare as I watched him pass by. Suddenly, I saw him look up and over at my brother's apartment above me. A look of deep regret and sorrow crossed his face, his expression pained.

Good. I got a strong sense of satisfaction from knowing he actually did feel like the piece of shit he was for cheating on my niece. At the same time, though, one look at his face and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. It was a strange and I didn't have time to stand around trying to figure out how that could be.

He looked out in front of him again before continuing on his way. He never did notice me standing there.

When he rounded the corner and finally disappeared from my line of sight, I shook my head in an effort to clear it. Doing my best to put it out of my mind, I made my way back to the party.

* * *

"I can't believe she fell asleep," Riley commented later after the brownies had been devoured and everyone else had left. I looked over, slinging the dish towel I had been using to dry over my shoulder, and sure enough, Maya was passed out. I handed Riley the newly dried plate.

"I can. We had a long day," I shrugged.

"I'm sure you did," Riley said knowingly before placing the last remaining dish on the shelf. I shot her a look but she just smiled unabashed in return. She came over and kissed my cheek. "Happy for you, favorite uncle. I'm going to bed," she said before making her way over to the door that led to her bedroom.

"Thanks favorite niece. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she said just before pushing her door shut.

I pushed myself off of their kitchen counter, walking over to sit on the edge of the sofa next to Maya. For a moment I simply admired her, taking in her peaceful expression as she slept, but before I crossed the threshold into creepy I reached forward, trailing my fingers along her cheek. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open as I moved my hand from her cheek to her hair, running my fingers through the silken strands.

"Hi," she whispered smiling once her eyes opened wide enough to realize who it was.

"Hi," I returned unable to help myself as I leaned down to taste her lips again.

I had meant for the kiss to be chaste, but Maya wasn't having any of that as her hand swept to the back of my head, holding me in place. I tried to suppress the sigh that threatened to escape me as her long nails started massaging my scalp. I was smiling as we pulled apart. I maneuvered my arm underneath her shoulder blades to help lift her into a more vertical position. She moved her legs around to sit next to me before resting her head against my shoulder.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," she muttered sleepily. I grinned against the crown of her head as I inhaled the scent of sweet lilacs.

"Well you did wake up incredibly early this morning to run away from me." She leaned away and punched me in the arm for that comment. Vowing to never admit her punch actually hurt, I pulled her closer instead as we both laughed. Laughter dying down, Maya yawned again as her head fell back down onto my shoulder.

"Alright, come on," I said as I grasped both of her hands and pulled her into a standing position. "It's time for me to leave and for you to go to bed." She nodded as she walked with me to the front door. I turned upon reaching it to pull her close again only to see the most beautiful and vulnerable expression upon her face.

"I don't want you to go," she admitted softly.

I gently smiled before pulling her towards me, not happy about the idea of leaving her either. She wrapped her arms around my waist so tight that it was almost painful. Almost.

I buried my face in her hair before whispering "I'll see you first thing in the morning."

"You promise," she asked leaning back a bit, eyes still wide and vulnerable. I liked this side of her.

"I promise," I whispered.

I kept my promise too. The way her face lit up the next morning when she opened her apartment building door to see me waiting on the steps for her made the long trip to her favorite pastry shop totally worth it. I slipped my fingers through hers as we walked down the sidewalk together on our way to work.

**A/N: So sorry for the delay! Life has been busy! Hope you enjoyed Joshua's POV. **

**Thank you to everyone for all of the love and support. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to reply to all of your reviews! I hope to soon! Keep those reviews coming.**

**Give some love to EmilyHelene by reviewing her Joshaya stories too! They're fabulous. We're going to have joint book signings one day. You know, as soon as I can write half as well as she can. Womp womp. **


	27. Going To The Hamptons

"Maya, would you hurry up?" asked an annoyed Josh as he impatiently stood by the door. I rushed around the living room, continuing my desperate search. . "We're supposed to meet up with everyone in twenty minutes," he reminded me as he glanced at his watch. Then his eyes widened. "Actually, let's make that fifteen minutes."

"I can't find my other flip flop," I whined as I knelt to peer underneath the back of the couch, clawing my hand underneath. "It's my only pair and I don't want to wear sneakers to the beach."

I lifted myself up to give him my best, most pathetic puppy dog look. It took all of three seconds for him to cave. He groaned as he dropped both of our bags from his shoulder to the floor to help me look. I grinned triumphantly before leaning back down to try and see underneath the massive hunk of furniture again.

"What does it look like?" he asked.

I slipped the one off my foot to hold it up in the air so he could see. He started looking underneath the chairs in the kitchen.

"Your ability to lose every single item you own astounds me," he muttered under his breath.

"I heard that!" My head sprung back up again to glare at him, but he looked completely unashamed.

"I meant for you to," he shot back with a knowing smile. "You know it's true,"

"I do not lose things," I countered as I sat up to brush the hair out of my face. "I simply place things in places that later elude me." I heard him snort and I'm pretty sure I saw him roll his eyes from the corner of mine. I stood up straight, rolling my shoulders back.

"You're lucky I really like you," I told him instead of the retort I had on the tip of my tongue.

I walked around to the front of the couch to look under the fifty thousand pillows Riley placed there. I was just about ready to give up until I lifted up the very last one.

"Ha!" I exclaimed as I turned around, shoe in hand. He walked toward me, amusement etched across his face. "See! I didn't lose it! Stick that in your juice box and suck it!" I exclaimed as I hit him in the chest with it.

He glanced down at his chest for a second then back up to me, the amused smile never leaving his face. I used his shoulder for balance as I slipped the shoe on my foot.

"You're lucky I really like you," he told me. I gasped suddenly as he reached out to pull me roughly toward him until we were chest to chest. He smiled softly before leanng toward me.

"We're going to be late," I reminded him in a whisper when he was just centimeters away.

"I don't care," he whispered right back, smiling slightly before finally closing the distance between us.

* * *

"Forty five minutes!" Dylan cried out for the fifteenth time. "You left us standing there for forty five minutes. What in the world were you two doing to make you forty five minutes late?!" he asked leaning forward from the backseat of the car so he was situated in between me and Josh sitting at the front, looking in between the both of us.

Elizabeth smiled at me knowingly from her reflection in the passenger side mirror. I quickly finished applying my lip balm before snapping it shut.

"I already told you man. Something came up," Josh replied from the driver seat.

I snorted at his answer which only served to make Dylan all the more suspicious as he turned his gaze towards me instead. I bit my lip and did my best to look unconcerned. I heard Elizabeth try and stifle her laughter behind me. Eventually, Dylan sat back in his seat.

"You're keeping something from me and I am going to figure it out," he told us both.

_I'm surprised he hasn't figured it out already. _

We weren't necessarily keeping our relationship a secret, but we weren't exactly telling people either. Our family doesn't count. I knew it was all fine. There weren't any rules at work that said we couldn't date each other, but it still felt weird to announce it to our co-workers.

Josh made a right turn with the car onto a gravel road. James had wanted us to pick up some stuff like groceries and supplies on the way so instead of taking the bus to the Hamptons like usual, the museum got us a rental car. I liked New York public transportation just fine, but there's something about being in a car with some of your favorite people that is simply glorious.

I gazed out the window at the passing trees. We must be getting close because I was catching glimpses of the ocean through the passing tree line. Eventually, we came to a gate. As we passed through I finally saw a beautiful two story house painted all in white.

I got out of the car the second that Joshua put it in park to admire it even more.

"Wow," muttered Elizabeth as she too got out of the car.

"No kidding," I replied.

"Welcome!" said a lovely blonde woman immediately coming out the front door with arms outstretched wide for us. I instantly recognized her as James' wife from pictures in his office.

"Hello Molly!" answered Elizabeth for us all, rushing forward to embrace her. She then introduced me to her.

"Thank you for inviting us here," I told her.

"Oh sweetheart, anytime! It's too quiet if the house isn't full," she answered with a smile. I instantly liked her.

Josh walked up with everyone's bags in hand at the same moment James walked outside.

"Glad you finally made it. I would have thought you would be here sooner," commented James. His wife immediately smacked him in the chest and told him to shush.

"Apparently, something came up with these two," remarked Dylan, pointing between me and Josh as he carried groceries towards the front door. I watched him slip inside. It would seem he had been here before considering how at ease he looked entering the house.

"Everything alright?" James asked us.

"Everything is perfect," answered Josh. I smiled. Everything certainly was.

James ushered us inside at that point and pointed us towards our respective rooms. I walked into the room I was to share with Elizabeth with a look of pure wonder. I gazed out the window to see a perfect view of the ocean.

i turned to walk toward one of the beds, lightly fingering the soft fabric of the blanket set atop it. Before I could even stop myself I flung myself back onto the bed in the most graceful manner. By graceful I mean that my limbs flailed in every which direction.

I snuggled into the bed. It was even softer than it looked.

_I am never getting up. Nope. Never._

"Get up,"

_Did he not just hear me?! Oh. That was in my head. Right..._

I looked up to see Josh standing in the doorway, that amused look gracing his face again.

"Why?!" I asked. It didn't come out as a pathetic whine. It didn't.

"James wants us all downstairs," he explained as he came to stand before me and reached an arm out to help me up. I gingerly took it and he lifted me off the bed with ease.

i weaved my fingers through his as we walked down the hallway and then down the stairs, only releasing them once we had reached the front door. Stepping outside once more we noticed everyone was congregated on the porch.

"Well you're just in time to meet our guests for the weekend," remarked James, turning toward us pointing towards the gate. We all turned our gaze to see two black cars enter the driveway and park next to us.

I watched mesmerized as a passenger door opened and I gasped as I instantly recognized the individual getting out.

_Lucas Friar, what are you doing here?_

**A/N: Short chapter? Yes. But I wanted to stop it there for plot reasons. However! I am almost finished with the next chapter! Which you will most likely receive this weekend so rejoice!**

**So Oklahoma is currently drowning. Or at least that's what it sounds like outside. I have plenty of excuses for how late this chapter is. Really good ones too! But let's just skip to questions**.

**Is this the last chapter?**

The last chapter will have the words "THE END" at the bottom. So no. I ain't done yet. (My okie just came out. We drive cars here. We don't ride horses to work. Seriously, people ask! We don't even really have accents although my international friends would totally laugh at that... Let's move on!)

**Would you consider writing a M rated story?**

Nope. Never. There are a lot of reasons.

**Are you on tumblr, twitter, instagram, etc...?**

Yes

**What is your tumblr, twitter, instagram, etc... user name?**

No

**What's your real name? **

Nice try

**Are you and EmilyHelene really friends? **

Nope! Sworn enemies. She edits my chapters out of spite. (I am in quite the sassy mood, aren't I?)

**Will there be more ups and downs in Maya's and Josh's relationship? **

Maybe. I never really know what's going to happen. Right now they're just really happy and are basically in their honeymoon period so probably not for awhile if so. I will definitely be shifting more of the drama towards my other characters for now. Plenty to go on there.

**Will Elizabeth end up with someone?**

Maybe. I want her to. We'll see what happens. Love all my Elizabeth/Aaron and Elizabeth/Daniel fans!

**Please tell me that what Lucas did was a lie or a misunderstanding?**

I don't think it was but who knows! I have yet to write my confrontation scene. I love Lucas by the way. This is just the way my head went for this particular story.

**Will Rucas happen?**

20+ chapters in and I still have no idea. I bet I'll figure it out as I keep writing though. Hold on!

**So it's summer now. You know what that means?! TEEN WOLF! Yes, season 4 was terrible, but I have hope for this season! There's just something about two people sharing less than five minutes of screen time that totally sucks me in. Anyone else loving Hayden and Liam already? No? Just me? I'm alone? I'm used to that. Thanks for listening anyway. STYDIA!**

**Review! I love my reviews**!


	28. A Different Kind Of Fierce

"Mr. Friar, glad you could join us!" said James walking forward and clapping him on the back.

"Happy to be here," replied Lucas with a a warm smile before turning towards the rest of us.

Lucas' eyes widened significantly when he noticed mine and Josh's presence. I could do nothing but stare. James walked forward, placing his hand on Lucas' shoulder as he went down the line introducing him to each of our team members.

Finally reaching Josh and I, I watched as Josh stuck his hand out to shake Lucas' with a clenched jaw. He played it off really well considering, but when Lucas reached me I just stared at his outstretched hand like I had no idea what to do with it.

I wasn't meaning to be rude, but I was honestly too shocked to even function. James furrowed his brows at my behavior but I still couldn't move a single muscle. Lucas shoved his hand in his pocket. "We've met," Lucas announced, trying to dissolve the strange situation.

"You have?" James asked delightedly, completely unaware of the situation at hand.

"We grew up together," I whispered as I finally looked up to meet Lucas' gaze. His expression was unreadable. Mine had heartbreak written all over it.

Luckily, before the situation grew any more awkward, James muttered a "happy to hear that" and ushered Lucas inside the house for a tour. Dylan and Elizabeth followed after them.

I released a huge breath I hadn't realized I had been holding and slowly turned around to face Josh. I just knew that we were thinking the exact same thing.

_This is going to be a very long weekend._

* * *

Dinner was an awkward affair to say the least. It consisted mostly of me pushing food around while I stared at my plate. Lucas wouldn't even look in our direction, not that we weren't behaving the exact same immature way.

What do you say to the guy that cheated on your best friend? What do you say to the friend that took off across the country without a word? How do you even begin? Why was he even here?

James told us earlier but I couldn't remember hearing anything for the life of me. Apparently shock can make you deaf.

Molly, James, and Dylan were politely engaging Lucas in conversation while Elizabeth shot me and Josh worried glances across the table. I swear, Elizabeth notices everything. I sent her a few brief smiles but the girl was just too smart. Eventually, I just mouthed the word "later" and left it at that. She nodded before turning back to her food, a frown still etched on her face.

Josh had his hand on my knee, a silent pledge of support. I was grateful but currently my head was swirling so much I was beginning to feel nauseous.

"Are you alright, Maya? You look a little pale," Molly asked right on cue.

"Um." I turned my face up to look at her but instantly regretted that decision since I had forgotten that Lucas was sitting directly next to her. Instead of meeting Molly's, I met Lucas' gaze.

Too many memories flashed through my eyes as I looked at him, he still scratched his arms repeatedly when he was nervous.

"I - uh. I'm sorry," I replied finally gaining control of my voice and producing a gentle smile for the occupants at the table. "I think I just need to go lie down," I said already rising from the table.

"Alright darling," Molly answered, concern evident in her tone. "Please let us know if you should need anything."

I smiled and nodded before quickly exiting the room. I vaguely heard a "I'll go make sure she makes it to her room" from Josh as I was halfway down the hall.

I kept going until I reached my door, but I leaned against it and waited for him. Five seconds later he rounded the corner and I raced forward, throwing my arms around his waistline and squeezing him tight. His arms came to wrap around my shoulders as he leaned down slightly to bury his face in my hair.

"I got you," he whispered in my ear. "I'm right here," he assured me over and over.

I held him close, taking deep breaths as I let his scent and his warmth envelop me. There was not a more peaceful place on this planet than being in Joshua's arms. I sighed as I finally felt myself start to relax.

Eventually, I leaned back, our arms still around each other but without me trying to crush him this time. "Thank you," I whispered.

"Come meet me outside," he said, slightly ignoring my thanks. I gave him a questioning look. "Later, when most everyone else is asleep," he clarified.

A slow smile spread across my face as I nodded. Alone on the beach at night with my man. Yes, please! I don't consider myself to be a cheesy person, but I had to admit that it sounded incredibly romantic. He smiled in return before leaning closer to press his lips to my forehead.

Of course that was the moment that Lucas decided to enter the hallway and witness the entire exchange. I watched as his eyes widened in comprehension before realizing what he was doing and turning away. He quickly turned and entered his room, which apparently was next to mine.

Josh and I turned to look at each other again. It was going to be a very long weekend indeed.

* * *

A few hours later, I slowly shut the back door behind me, doing my very best to not make a sound.

I found Josh sitting on the porch waiting for me. He smiled when he saw me and sprang up out of his seat to come meet me by the stairs. He reached forward, lacing his fingers through mine before leading me towards the beach.

There, waiting for us, was a blanket already spread out, a couple of pillows, and a box of my favorite cookies from my favorite bakery.

I lifted one eyebrow as I regarded one very sheepish Joshua Matthews.

"Have you been planning this?" I asked.

"Maybe," he replied with a smug smile.

I grinned right back, leaning over to quickly peck his lips before moving to sit on the blanket and grabbing a cookie.

"What are you thinking about?" Josh asked a little later as we laid side by side facing each other, his hand making a slow trail up and down my spine through the thin fabric of my shirt.

"The past I guess," I shrugged, staring absentmindedly at the ocean in front of us.

"Lucas?"

"No. Well yes. I don't know," I answered, shaking my head to clear my thoughts.

"You're going to need to be a bit more specific, beautiful," he said gazing at me tenderly as his fingers traced the curve of my cheek. I finally turned to return his gaze before shrugging my shoulders.

"I was thinking about you, me, Riley, Lucas, Farkle, and others," I listed. "Where we have all ended up in our lives. How we used to be. How I used to be..." I trailed off.

"What about you?" he asked, removing his fingers and propping himself up on one elbow, eyebrows furrowed as he gazed down at me.

I stared into his eyes for a second before sighing and sitting up, pulling my knees to my chest as I stared straight out at the ocean again. I watched him follow suit out of the corner of my eye before continuing.

"I used to be fearless. I was never afraid to speak my mind or take huge risks, like showing up at a college party to get some guy's attention for instance." I mentioned with a smile as I nudged my shoulder with his. He chuckled, but the air quickly turned serious again as my smile dropped.

"I didn't care what anyone thought. I was brave and now..." I trailed off, inhaling a shuddering breath and looking down at the sand.

"You don't think you are anymore?" he asked turning towards me and scooting closer.

"It doesn't feel like it," I whispered, now staring down at the sand. He stared back out at the ocean, taking a moment for my words to soak in. Silence drifted over us, the only sounds being the wind and the waves hitting the shore. Just as I was becoming comfortable with the silence he spoke up.

"It always seemed like a cover to me."

My head turned towards him the second he spoke up, but he continued before I could ask him what he meant.

"You were outspoken and fearless for sure, in a way at least, but you were also so guarded. It was like you acted that way so no one could close enough to hurt you again."

My thoughts drifted to the past before I could even stop myself. He must have seen my grimace because he reached out to squeeze my hand before continuing.

"I didn't know who you were. I wondered if anyone knew, even Riley." He turned to face me then, a smile gracing his face.

"You're still fierce, Maya, even more so than before. It's just a different sort. It takes a lot of bravery to be vulnerable and to say how you really feel. You do it beautifully."

I blushed as I looked down at the sand again, a small smile forming as his words washed over me and drowned all my little insecurities. He scooted closer before cupping my face in both of his hands and forcing me to look at him.

"Just so you know," he started while gently caressing my cheekbones with the pads of his thumbs. "I liked who you were then. I like who are now. I will like whoever you grow to be," he finished in a whisper

I stared into his eyes as I reached a hand up, placing it over one of his still lingering against my cheek, one thought crossing my mind.

_Joshua Matthews, what did I ever do to deserve you? _

**A/N: Well it's been a rough week of life and writer's block and computer crashes. But hey, I survived and here I am. **

**Garrett returns next chapter. Notice how Maya hasn't really made the correlation that Molly is Garrett's mom? She's a funny girl, my version of Maya Hart. More in depth Lucas next chapter for sure. **

**So I love how a lot of my readers are also Teen Wolf fans. Seriously, I love it! Let's chat! Some asked me what Stydia is and honestly, I am just super jealous about the lack of emotional pain in your lives. **

**That's all I have. I'll try to do questions next time. I know I have been horrible with replying to reviews and messages and have been missing some questions. I'm so sorry! There are just too many of you now! Lol. So I really hope none of you are offended if I don't reply. I'm doing my best. You can always just write me again if I'm not answering. **


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